Miracles Aren't Free
by gabrielfuckingagreste
Summary: Aurore Beauréal gets the Peacock Miraculous. Mrs. Agreste is trapped in that miraculous.
1. Chapter 1

She could relive the entire day and still not understand how she had come across a miraculous.

It was a brisk winter day on the coast of France. January, definitely. Maybe not too cold, but definitely too chilly to model a summer swimsuit. Inevitably, Gabriel Agreste felt that the Mediterranean wasn't "the correct shade of blue" in the Spring.

No one dared to remind him that Photoshop existed.

Her day started at around five in the mornign, where she grabbed half of a croissant and headed down to wardrobe, her chiffon robe of choice already draped over her arm. The Gabriel brand was based in one of the conference rooms of the hotel, complete with desks, computers, and curtains sectioning off 'wardrobe' and 'hair and makeup.'

Someone had taken the croissant out of her hand, saying something to her about being bloated, and she shot them a polite smile and gave a short apology. Her ashy blonde hair bounced in her pigtails as she took steps towards wardrobe, careful to avoid—

"Ms. Beauréal, a word."

Aurore froze in her tracks, and turned towards the hawk-like woman. "Yes, Ms. Sancoeur?"

"Adrien will be your partner for this shoot." Nathalie informed her, "I know you were expecting Jonas Amorin, but I thought I'd inform you of the change. That is all." The woman turned, her heels clicking softly on the carpeted floor.

She felt a slight stir in her heart, but swallowed it down. After all, she was older than him, smarter then him, and _maybe_ a better model than him. "Thank you. I'm going to head to wardrobe, now," She called after the assistant.

Of course, they weren't children, and they weren't amateurs when it came to modelling.

Aurore was placed in a graphic two-piece, a boy-short bottom with a strapless, balconette top that stopped a little bit above her waist. It looked like a diamond-inspired geometric design, with peach-colored piping and mesh cutouts.

The makeup artist set to work on her, applying foundation and bronzer and highlighter and contour liberally. The hairstylist got her fingers into Aurore's hair, weaving in gold and silver tinsel as well. All of the preening left her feeling like a work of modern art.

With her robe draped over her shoulders, Nathalie and her made their way out onto the beach at around seven. Adrien was waiting, already, and Aurore shot him a pearly smile. The kid had aged up well into a muscled, well-toned man.

 _Who probably doesn't need his abs contoured,_ she thought bitterly.

Gabriel Agreste was the last to arrive, and he glanced between the two models. And the work began.

She was completely in the zone, and barely remembered a majority of the shoot (because how else did you block out Gabriel and his infinite list of criticisms?)

"Aurore!" His voice cut through the meaningless poses.

"Sir?" Her winning smile dropped. There was no point in beaming at a man who had been married to a supermodel, and had another as a son. He knew all the tricks of the trade.

"The last sets of photographs will be taken in the water. Kindly get in." Gabriel told her, sounded as disinterested as ever. He was clearly a man who only enjoyed the aspects of designing and constructing garments, and took little joy out of editorial shoots..

She glanced over to Adrien, who looked just as displeased as she was.

Nodding, she turned, her heels dropping in the sand as she headed towards the water, which was far too cold to swim in. Turning back, she called to him as they adjusted the cameras, "How far in?"

"Adrien's knees." The man answered, he who wore a long-sleeved sweater and slacks.

"Damn." She mumbled.

The boy chuckled next to her, "It could be worse."

With this, Adrien started walking into the water, wincing as the waves caressed his toes, kissed his feet, then licked his calves—

"Further, Adrien." Gabriel remarked.

He skipped further into the water, until he was at the right distance, and Aurore followed, her body practically shaking.

Ten minutes later, they were granted a break. Or, the set was granted a break, and Adrien and Aurore went back for hair and make-up touch ups.

She remembered the day for two reasons.

One, because at the end of it, she received her miraculous.

Two, because Gabriel Agreste liked her modeling.

"You're an independent agent, Ms. Beauréal?" He asked her during the break.

She took the tiniest sip of coffee, "Yes, sir."

He raised his eyebrows, genuinely amused at the thought of an aspiring model, nearing the end of her teenage years, without a contract. "Then I have to commend you for getting on my set. Your portfolio must be impressive."

Her face didn't fall at the idea that the _god damn fashion designer_ hadn't even looked over her portfolio. The thought of his assistant picking her out of a pile seemed too real. "Thank you, sir."

Gabriel handed her a business card. "You should come onto our agency."

"R-really?" Her eyes widened as she accepted the card. "I—Thank you, yes, I'd be happy to sign on to your agency."

 _I didn't know you owned a modelling agency,_ she thought to herself.

Her eyes widened when she realized that the thought had passed her lips for Gabriel Agreste to here.

His smile was slight, "It was my wife's modelling agency."

Aurore felt the air chill slightly as a breeze picked up. Right. The woman who was missing for four years.

Two hours later, when the shoot finally ended, Aurore was packing up the items in her hotel room, piling everything in a suitcase.

Everything was where it was supposed to be, there were no extra items, save a souvenir from the town for her father.

Her bag was almost packed completely when someone was knocking at the door.

"Just a moment!" She called, leaving the suitcase wide open.

She peeked through the viewer, and saw that it was Adrien. Opening the door, she fought back her blush. "Adrien, what's up?"

He held up his train ticket, "I was wondering if we had the same train home, so we could carpool and possibly sit together?"

Aurore glanced back at her bag, "I think I have the midday train."

The man let out a happy sigh, "Then we have the same ticket."

Her heart might skip a beat, but she was Aurora Beauréal. She was cool. "Great. I'm almost done packing. I was going to call a cab, but I guess I don't have to." Letting out a slight chuckle, she wondered if she was being too cordial, but tossed it aside.

She let him in, and slipped into the bathroom for a moment to gather the last of her toiletries. Placing them in the bag, she zipped it shut, while he had his hands in his pockets politely.

"You attend Coll ge Francois Dupont, right?" He asked her, offering to carry her obnoxiously girly suitcase.

Aurore nodded, her confidence radiating off of her skin. "I'm in my last year, thankfully. You go there too, right?"

The boy nodded, "I do."

"We should hang out sometime." She offered, "If you're not—too busy, I guess? I don't honestly know."

He chuckled, but agreed.

* * *

A train ride home later, she called a cab to spare herself a metro ride across town. Her keys twisted the townhouse door open, revealing a small foyer, a set of stairs, an archway that lead to the kitchen, and a door to her right that was open, revealing a living-room-slash-office.

Her father looked up from his computer, and beamed at her, "How did it go?"

"It went well, Dad." She replied, setting her suitcase down at the bottom of the stairs. "Where's Mom?"

The man, a dark-redhead with pale skin, frowned immediately, "She got the part on Broadway, so she's going to be in the U.S. for the next couple months."

Aurore nodded, no longer disappointed by the (literally) flighty behavior of her mother. At least her dad only took acting jobs around Paris.

"I'm going to unpack and catch up on homework. Did Mireille drop off my schoolwork?"

He nodded, "Yes, yes, she told me to tell you that you guys have a project in two weeks on some science subject."

The blonde nodded, resolving to text her friend later. Luckily, they both excelled in their science classes.

Grabbing her suitcase, she hauled it upstairs, despairing over the weight of the cumbersome object. Her room was a white and eggshell blue theme, with gray accented pillows and elephant figurines. It as very 'Aurore.'

Flopping her luggage onto the bed, she flicked the clasps open, letting the lid flop to the other side of her bed.

Her hand immediately reached for the random, wooden box, with intricate carvings. She had no recollection of packing it whatsoever. It wasn't hers. Still, her hand ran over the Chinese symbols. Aurore opened the box.

The inside was lined in a light blue silk, worn and slightly dusty. In the center was an assuming peacock brooch.

She glanced at her phone, maybe someone would e-mail her about some mistaken luggage. Maybe this wasn't her light blue suitcase with white fluffy clouds hand-painted on! Maybe!

Still, the jeweled brooch was _gorgeous._ Aurore's style was casual Lolita, so this hipster-grandma brooch didn't really fit in, but the girl was determined.

Taking a black romper out of her closet, along with a dark blue cardigan, she shed her dress and donned the outfit she had picked out. Examining herself in the mirror, she pinned the brooch to the cardigan. Nothing happened, at first.

When a small tiny bird emerged out of it, she screamed, flung herself backwards and banged into the hope chest at the foot of her bed.

Aurore often had nightmares about the akuma. She didn't remember her time as Stormy Weather, but she does remember the butterfly, pursuing her. Her dreams were plagued with butterflies of every color, which could send her into nauseous fits if the dreams were violent enough. Elevators made the teenager uncomfortable to this day.

She was standing on the bed, pillow raised, ready to fight this tiny bird when it spoke.

"Calm down!" It pleaded, "I'm not going to hurt you."

Her blue eyes widened and she replied, "I'm not—no! You akumas need to leave me alone!"

"I'm _not_ an akuma." The bird chirped, its feathers ruffled at the thought, "I'm a kwami. I give people superpowers."

Her father called up the stairs. "Aurore? Are you alright?"

The bird's eyes widened, and Aurore sighed, and yelled back, "I'm fine! There was a spider!"

The kwami shook its tail feathers, dancing with joy. Aurore hopped off the bed, and examined the bird. It resembled the peacock from which it emerged from. "I suppose I should introduce myself."

"Alright." Her eyes narrowed, and she brushed away some blonde hair.

"Do you know…" The peacock took pause, "Are there other superheroes?"

"Ladybug, Chat Noir, and Queen Bee."

The bird's eyes widened, "Which superhero are they fighting?"

Aurore's frowned, "Hawkmoth, I—do you not know?"

"We're trapped in the miraculous together." A new voice spoke to her, soft and sad, "We don't know anything about what's going on in the world right now."

She turned around. It was a woman with eyes that were the color of summer grass, honeyed skin, and golden hair. Her face was heart shaped, her chin and nose pointed delicately. Her frame was supple, a cross between a model and athlete. The woman, however, wasn't opaque. She was translucent, and everything behind her body was visible, yet slightly blurry.

"Who are you?"

"I am," -the woman took a deep breath- "I'm the previous Peacock. I'm trapped in my miraculous, or, your miraculous, should you accept it."

The girl glanced back to the kwami, who looked just as sad and as broken as it's previous master. Aurore paled, "Do Ladybug and Chat Noir have ghosts, too?"

"I'm not a ghost. I'm very much alive." She insisted, moving to sit on the bed, "And, no, not to my knowledge. This predicament is quite rare, I think it could work to your advantage."

"My advantage?"

"If it's Hawkmoth you want to defeat; no one knows the Butterfly miraculous better than I do." The woman replied carefully. "You're the only one in the world who can see or hear me, and I happen to be an expert on superhero history and magic. I could—"

"I'm not interested." Aurore interrupted her, "I'm sorry. That wasn't polite of me to say...I—I'm not cut out for it."

She wouldn't admit that she was once possessed by the Butterfly miraculous. Aurore didn't admit it to anyone, except for Mireille, her best friend, and Stormy Weather's nemesis. And admitting to a former superhero that you were once a supervillain typically doesn't bode over well.

The woman smiled faintly, and shrugged, "Well, can you at least wear the brooch for a little while longer? Yaava deserves to stretch for a little bit, and it'd be nice to be out and about, if only for a moment. After that, I'll tell you where you can go to return the broach."

"Okay."

Yaava flew in front of her, "You're sure you don't want to transform, at least, and feel it out?"

Aurore nodded, "I'm sure."


	2. Chapter 2

Aurore felt her cheek being prodded, and her heavy eyelids opened, and scrutinized the woman standing over her.

"I need beauty sleep, you know." The girl pushed her hair aside, and rolled over on her bed.

Yaava was on the other pillow, and the teen groaned.

The kwami smiled, "It's late at night, _perfect_ time to transform."

"No." She replied, pulling the covered to her nose, and shutting her eyes again. "I already told you both that I'm not doing it."

The woman sat on the edge of the bed, and Aurore felt her weight. "You should at least try it."

Aurore looked over her shoulder to the blonde. She had left her curtain windows open, the glow of the city was so faint on the woman, that she wondered if she was real. Aurore's father didn't see or hear her when he came in to wish her goodnight, and the kwami hid from him.

Perhaps it was the beginning signs of insanity, Aurore mused, but then again, superheroes and supervillains weren't uncommon in Paris.

Maybe 'transforming' wouldn't be such a bad idea, especially if it would prove whether or not it was all real.

Then again, this blonde woman seemed like the type who you couldn't give an inch too, because she would take a mile. "Please transform, just this once!" would lead to "You should try flying around the city! Spread your wings!" and that would lead to being a full-blown superhero.

 _No, thank you._

"I don't have to try it." She had insisted. "I need to get my beauty sleep. You should sleep, too. We have a day tomorrow."

The woman perked up slightly, "Wait, what year is it? What month?"

"January, 2016." Aurore murmured, falling back asleep.

She could barely hear the exasperated sigh that escaped the woman's lips, she was already asleep.

* * *

The dream was almost always the same. Aurore stood in the middle of a field, the wind whipping her dress and hair around her. The locations were different from time to time. This night was a rare night, where she wasn't trapped in an enclosed space. There was room to run away tonight.

Nightmares always started out like dreams, before they inevitably spiraled out of control.

Aurore felt the first butterfly fade into, view, and she turned. Its black wings fluttered lazily around her.

She turned around, and headed in the opposite direction.

Much to her dismay, there more butterflies, she sidestepped, and broke into a run.

There were more butterflies, burning into her legs as they graced her skin.

Opening her mouth, no words came out. In a matter of minutes, she was covered head to toe in butterflies.

The dream was almost always the same.

* * *

Aurore's eyes shot open. She felt a cold washcloth on her forehead, pressing away the beads of sweat that had formed. Her hands ran over her body, checking to make sure that no butterflies were near her.

"It'll be alright." The woman sat on the edge of the bed, "You're safe. It wasn't real."

Breathing out, she reminded herself about Yaava and this woman occupying her life. "Did you see any of that?"

"No." The woman told her, "Your dreams are your own. Want to talk about it?"

Shaking her head, she replied, "It's always the same. I'm always outrunning this…stuff."

She let out a small chuckle, "Well, I promise that whatever your outrunning won't be here when you wake up. You have school tomorrow, so go back to bed. I'll protect you in the meantime, okay?"

Nodding, she turned over, and felt incredibly assured and warm as she went back to sleep.

* * *

Aurore's messenger bag hit the side of her leg as she slid into the gourmet nut store. The woman had begged her to go there.

"Yaava loves pecans." She had insisted, the bird kwami perking up and pleading as well.

She had no choice.

Of course, Mireille came along. It was on their way to school, so why wouldn't they stop in?

She was shy, certainly, but definitely honest. "This is weird."

"I had a sudden craving for pecans." Aurore told her, "Please, just deal."

"You know, the grocery store two streets over would have way cheaper pecans."

Aurore froze.

The woman rolled her eyes, "Tell her you had a craving for _expensive_ pecans."

"I had a craving for expensive pecans?" It sounded like a question, but she shot her best friend a toothy smile, hoping for the best.

Mireille's eyes formed wrinkles as she laughed into her hand. Aurore bounced into the next aisle, settling on a bag of nuts that the blonde ghost had picked out.

After paying an exorbitant amount for a half-pound of pecans, she placed the grocery into her beg, stowed away where the peacock kwami could reach it.

When they were finally on campus, Aurore thanked her lucky stars that she wasn't constantly checking over her shoulder to see if the woman was still following her.

Well, she didn't have to the first time.

"Ms. Beauréal." Nathalie called up to her as she was heading up the stairs.

Aurore turned back, staring at a blurry Nathalie through a very-much-frozen ghost woman.

She stepped to the side, and the assistant was in focus. "Yes, Ms. Sancoeur?"

The assistant pushed up her glasses, and produced a manila envelope. "A contract offer, if you'd like to look it over, as well as my business card should you have any questions. Call when you're ready to sign."

Aurore took the papers numbly. "T-thank you."

"Have a lovely day at school."

The woman licked her lips slightly, and murmured, "You didn't say you were a model."

Aurore turned to Mireille, who she had already texted about the shoot. "Can you believe this? I'm going to be a model for Gabriel!"

She placed the envelope in her bag, her smile so wide across her face. "I don't think I've seen you this happy since the KIDZ competition."

Her face didn't show it, but Aurore internally winced at the memory. Or the lack of memories. They made their way towards Ms. Mendeleiev's classroom.

Class went by quicker than usual. The woman shadowing Aurore kept making slightly snarky comments, until history period, where she was captivated by the lesson of the day.

* * *

When lunchtime hit, Mireille had to go and film her midday weather report, leaving Aurore to fend for herself, as usual.

She didn't pull out the contract, but did pull out the bag of pecans. "Why is this half empty? I was hoping it'd last through the week."

"I'm sorry." Yaava told, peaking out, "I haven't eaten in a couple years."

"…Right."

The woman raised her eyebrows. "Aurore," She pointed across the courtyard, "Who's…who's that?"

Following the woman's finger, she realized that it lead to Adrien Agreste and Nino Lahiffe, who were heading in her direction. "Adrien, hey!" Aurore greeted them, "And you're Nino, right?"

"Yes." He smiled, "We were wondering if you'd want to join us for lunch. Adrien kept gushing about you, and I'm curious to see what all the fuss is about."

Adrien's eyes resembled saucers, "I was _not_ gushing. I was—I was saying how Father was looking over some of the raw photographs and was really impressed with your poise and maturity."

The woman stood next to the blonde boy, her face examining his. If Aurore wasn't doing everything she could to ignore the woman, she would've noticed how alike they looked.

Aurore smiled, "Ms. Sancoeur just handed me a contract offer, actually, so I'm glad your father liked them. I'd be happy to join you for lunch."

He grinned. "Good, you're going to love it."

Aurore fell into stride with them as they left the school. She looked over her shoulder at the ghost, who looked particularly interested in their conversation.

They slipped into a small café, lit by the lights of the small bar and the tall windows at the storefront. Settling into a small corner of couches. Aurore sat next to Adrien, who sat across from Nino.

The ghost woman sat next to Nino, which didn't help the 'ignore the woman you can only see and hear' fiasco.

Adrien eyed Aurore carefully in his peripherals. "So, you're going to start modelling for my father?"

She beamed at him, "I'm not entirely sure, I haven't checked the contract yet. What do you think?"

He leaned back into the sofa, and chuckled, "I'm biased."

"How's his modelling company in comparison to others?"

"It's alright." The boy replied, "My father is…controlling, however, and there's only a handful of models. The advantage is that you'll be one in exactly one dozen, so there's going to be a lot of work coming your way."

The ghost woman smirked, "And the disadvantage?"

Obviously, the boy didn't hear her, but went on, "The disadvantage is that it's a demanding schedule. Be prepared for a daily workout regimen, weekly meetings with a nutritionist and hair stylist."

"Are you sure that's not just you?" Nino teased, "His father has him on this crazy regime."

Adrien's mouth was open, and he made a small noise. "It is a little _peculiar,_ I will admit. But he'd rather invest his resources into a small number of extremely-successful models than a lot of moderately successful models." He turned to Aurore, "It's tough. I hate it, but you actually _like_ modelling, and the contract will get you a really awesome portfolio and amazing connections."

Aurore smiled, "I'll probably sign."

He grinned, "One more thing, however."

"What?"

The blonde's smile fell, "Never refer to it as his company. My father—well, my mom founded the modelling agency after she retired. The Gabriel brand has assumed control of it when she disappeared. He'll correct you on it every single time."

The woman scoffed, and stood, skulking away.

"I'm guessing I should just refer to it as the _Agreste Agency_?" She smirked.

The woman cursed aloud, and Aurore saw her flop down on the piano next to the bar, where a small band was setting up to play.

Listening to her hammer away at the keys, she couldn't help but tune out Adrien and Nino as they chattered over sandwiches. The frustration radiated off of her song, a high-tempo, melodic classical piece.

Still, it was beautiful.

"Aurore?"

"What?" She grinned, giving them a model smile.

"You zoned out on us." Nino chuckled, "Something wrong?"

The music faded out. Her finger strokes became softer, and the woman curled herself against the upright piano. Aurore was slightly concerned, and excused herself to the bathroom.

She scanned the woman up and down, who was blinking furiously, "What the hell? You can't just make a scene like that."

"It's not a scene if only one person sees you." The woman crossed her arms, and leaned against the wall.

"Yeah, that makes it a temper-tantrum." Aurore scowled, "Look, That blonde boy, Adrien. I really like him, okay? It's stupidly embarrassing that I like this kid who's a whole year younger than me, but I'd appreciate it if you didn't just distract me in front of him."

Her eyebrows, _perfectly arched despite being trapped in a miraculous for god knows how long,_ raised, wrinkling her forehead delicately. "You like Adrien?"

That caused the pig-tailed girl's eyes to roll, "Who doesn't? He's…he's magnificent."

"Is he?"

"Yes."

Letting out a neutral sigh, she remarked, "You act cooler around him than one would expect."

"I _am_ cool." Aurore admitted.

"Ice cold."

* * *

Aurore stepped onto the fourth floor of the Gabriel headquarters, the manila envelope in hand. There was a large hallway of the history of the agency, in the sixteen years since it was created. That was when she saw the photograph.

The woman in the editorial was wearing a long copper-colored evening gown, clearly from the mid-nineties. Spagetti straps held up a full satin gown, with an elegant train. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a Dolce & Gabbana.

She sat through the meeting, not daring to look at the woman, who an hour earlier, had explained a good portion of the contract to her.

 _Why did I think that she was once a lawyer?_ Aurore thought in disbelief.

She stepped out of the office as an official model for the Agreste Agency, which gave her a significant feeling of dread.

"So." The girl whispered, standing with the woman in her bedroom an hour or so later.

No longer a woman. No longer anonymous.

Adele Agreste.

Adele Agreste, who was currently frowning at her reflection in a mirror, "I was hoping you wouldn't find out."

Aurore glanced at her laptop. Thankfully, her father was at play rehearsal. "You were hoping I'd never find out? You've been missing for four years!"

She took in a breath, "Apparently so."

Her eyes scanned back in forth, and back to the woman. All she could see was Adrien. They looked identical. "I have to tell someone."

The expression on the woman's face darkened, "No."

"I have to tell Adrien, or Mr. Agreste." She replied, "I can't let them—"

"I know what's best for my family." She cut the teenager off, "And what would you say to them? That they're wife and "

That gave the girl pause, "Then let's fix this. How do I get you out of my miraculous?"

Adele smirked, " _Your_ miraculous?"

"Whatever." She rolled her eyes and turned away. "I want to help you."

Yaava frowned, blinking her bird eyes, "There's nothing we can do."

Aurore shook her head, not accepting a word of it, "There _has_ to be something we can do. If you got in the brooch, can't you get out?"

The kwami paused, "Aurore."

She turned to Adele, looking up at her with cold expression. "You said this was a rare occurrence. You never said that it hasn't happened before."

The supermodel ran a few fingers through her hair and thought for a moment, "I did say that. But…there's nothing we can do. I…I can prove it to you, if it makes you feel better."

* * *

That's how Aurore ended up in Quartier Chinois, at the back door of a massage parlor, in a fish-smelling alley. "This is insane."

Adele smirked, "I know. Please just knock on the door."

Yaava poked her head out of the pig-tailed girl's jacket, where the brooch was pinned to the inner-lining, waiting. She was bubbly with excitement

Her fingernails pressed into her palm as she curled her hand into a fist as she moved to knock.

The door opened after the first knock, startling Aurore. She stepped back and looked down at this young, Chinese man. "I've been expecting you." He looked straight at the other woman.

His eyes softened even further, and his shoulder's relaxed, "Adele. It's so good to see you. I wish the circumstances were better."

Aurore couldn't contain her disbelief, and couldn't form a coherent sentence, for that matter. "What? You—you can see her—oh my god—I can't—"

"Yes." The man opened the door wider, "Please, come in."

After introductions and a mandatory cup of tea, Aurore found herself sitting on a low futon, across from Fu. Adele sat perpendicular to Aurore, at the other end of the couch.

"So, you're the 'Guardian'." She stated, taking a small sip. "What is that?"

He smiled, and Wayzz flew up to him, landing on his shoulder, "I am the keeper of the miraculous."

Aurore, who up until this point was smiling, frowned, "Did _you_ give me this miraculous?"

Yaava's eyes widened, "No, wait—did you?"

Fu chuckled, and shook his head, "I'm afraid that that's a mystery. Who can say what happened to the Peacock miraculous after Adele 'disappeared'? The brooch wasn't returned to me."

"What do you mean?" She asked, "If a miraculous user dies, do they just slip into their jewelry?"

Her insides felt as though they were twisting into themselves. The memories of Stormy Weather were gone forever, but that didn't change the fact that she caused real danger. What if she had doomed two kids her own age to life inside their magical jewelry?

Adele placed a hand on Aurore's shoulder, but it just phased through her, and she pulled away. "No. I—I was—how do I say this, Fu?"

"I trained her as my protégé." Fu added, "It doesn't matter now, but because of our actions, when she was transformed, something went wrong, and she used her skills to do this."

Aurore set her cup of tea down, and realized that she was shaking. "Okay."

"So," He smiled, "What's the problem?"

She blinked, and her head darted back, "The problem? Adele is _stuck_ in the miraculous. We need to get her out of it."

Adele frowned, "And I've told her a thousand times that it's _not_ possible."

He took pause, and stared into his cup. "It's not possible for remove Adele from the miraculous." The old man stated, his words clipped.

"It's magic. Anything's possible!" She replied, exasperated, "There are people out there waiting for her to come home!"

Fu inhaled, "I know. However, I don't think that's really why you're here."

"What?" Aurore scowled, "Don't change the subject."

"Have you transformed yet?" Wayzz asked her. "Are you thinking about it?"

"No." She replied, "I'm not cut out for it." Feeling her entire body recoil away from both Adele and Fu, she forced herself to relax, and put on a model pose.

Adele exhaled, "I know you may feel that way, but I promise you, you are." Her eyes were sparkling slightly, and Aurore was filled with well-nurtured warmth. "You can help those heroes defeat Hawkmoth."

Aurore blinked, and turned her head towards Fu. "Do you know who Hawkmoth is?"

Fu frowned. "Aurore—"

She didn't have to listen to him. By the look of his face, the girl knew he wouldn't tell her a single word of useful information. "Adele. Do you know?"

"I'm bound to the Peacock miraculous." She replied, "There are rules. Kwamis aren't allowed to reveal the identity of other miraculous wielders, and I have to follow that rule as well."

 _Incredible._ The teenage girl thought. "How is that helpful?"

"It's saved lives." Yaava said. "Hawkmoth isn't the first to misuse a miraculous, and he won't be the last. If Hawkmoth were to capture my brother, and demand him to reveal Ladybug's identity, it wouldn't do us any good."

"Furthermore." Wayzz flew and landed in her lap, "You have come upon unexpected opportunity. Adele is one of the greatest miraculous users of all time, and she can train you to be a formidable superhero."

"No."

"You could save Paris." The green kwami flew up to her ear, and murmured so that only she could hear, " _And prevent others from going through what you went through, Aurore._ "

A shiver ran down her spine, and she stood, smoothing out her dress. "I'll be waiting outside," She informed them, "It was nice meeting you, Master Fu, and I thank you for your time. I'll take good care of the miraculous until you are ready to retrieve it from me."

She opened the back door in her next breath, and leaned against the wall. Her eyes fell to the green kwami, "Go away."

"You fought that akuma, didn't you?" He tilted his head to the side, and rubbed his arms together.

"It's _none_ of your business." Aurore snapped back, blinking rapidly as tears threatened to form. She hadn't felt this helpless since the moments up until Stormy Weather, after all, and that was months ago.

Wayzz hummed, "It's nothing to be ashamed of, though, you should let me say something. You, Aurore, are one of the few humans in recent history to resist being a champion, or 'akuma', as you call it."

Her eyes fixated on the fire escape above them, "Don't most people resist?"

The turtle sighed, and shook his head, "I think you humans like to pretend that you resisted, before you were turned into a magical supervillain. I think that's easier for you to handle, but you, Aurore, actually tried to fight the butterfly, didn't you?"

She swallowed a hard lump down her throat, "Yes. It wasn't enough. No matter what I do, it's never enough."

"That takes a lot of strength." Wayzz told her, "That takes months of training for a miraculous user."

"I wasn't strong enough."

Conceding, the turtle agreed, "No, you weren't."

Aurore frowned, "So why do you think I have what it takes, if I got akumatized? If I wasn't strong enough then, how am I strong enough now?"

Wayzz landed on her shoulder, and nuzzled her cheek, "I may not fundamentally _understand_ human emotion anymore, but I do know that giving into one's emotions isn't necessarily weakness. You have a right to feel the way you feel, and it's not fair that there's someone out there preying on the emotional outbursts of teenagers."

She said nothing, and just tried to control her breathing. Aurore's arms were crossed, her fingernails digging into her skin, fighting to keep herself together at that moment.

The turtle kwami flew off her, and stared at the wall for a second, and pivoted back to the girl, speaking slowly, "I'm sure you find it frustrating that we're all trying to change your mind, but I'm five thousand years old. I've lost touch with what it means to be human. Humans know themselves better than I would know them."

"Your point?"

"Adele Agreste is human." Wayzz answered, "So is my master, despite his futile attempts to distance himself from mankind. _They_ believe in you, and there's no one else in this universe that I trust more than the two of them."

"They don't know me."

He nodded, "Maybe not, but I think they're pretty decent judges of character. Fu and I know that you resisted the akuma."

Aurore pushed herself further into the wall, "How?"

"Your aura? How else?" Wayzz smiled, "Adele doesn't know, and neither does Yaava, so your secret is safe, but even if they knew, their opinions wouldn't change. You have what it takes."

The turtle kwami kissed her nose and flew back into the building.

She popped off the wall, leaning on her parasol as she waited for Adele and Yaava.


	3. Chapter 3

"What do you mean I'm not in the shoot?"

"Well, it's a teen line." Nathalie explained, her voice neutral and harsh, "And it was discussed that the youngest woman on our contracts would model the girl's teen collection. Since you're no longer the youngest one, we switched you out."

The brunette shot the assistant a glare, "I don't see how Monsieur Agreste would pick inexperienced model over me."

Nathalie frowned deeper, "Well, it's a collection aimed for young adults, so by definition, inexperience does matter more than experience, in this case. I'm sorry for the inconvenience, Lauren."

Aurore moved past the two quickly, her eyes strictly ahead as she headed into hair and makeup.

 _This is what you wanted, you don't have to feel guilty._

Adrien greeted her when she entered the tent, and so did the two stylists on set. Aurore was the only model they were working on today, so it didn't take a lot of thinking to figure out what was expected.

"My father asked me to show you around." The boy explained to her, "Though, you've modelled before, you probably know what you're doing."

Adele raised an eyebrow at the boy, a bemused smirk formed across her face. The girl could clearly see the mother observing the boy with continued curiosity. It made her insides tighten.

Putting on a brave face, she answered, "That's really nice of you. I appreciate it. And I've never worked on a Gabriel set, so I'd appreciate any help I could get."

The boy grinned, "I'm sure you'll do great."

The stylist got to work, undoing the pigtails and gathering the thick hair into her hands.

Adrien glanced, and then down at his hands, and realized that there was nothing to do except keep the girl company, who's face was getting powdered, blended, and lined. She couldn't talk.

In truth, Aurore was happy that she couldn't speak to him. Adele was right there.

 _"Yeah, Adrien, I can see and hear your 'missing' mom in my magical piece of jewelry."_

Somehow, that wouldn't go over well, considering there was no way to remove her from the miraculous and return to the world of living.

Gabriel entered the tent shortly after Aurore was being sprayed with setting spray. His assistant followed, several garments held by hangers in one hand, her other hand holding the tablet.

"Her hair needs to be in a top knot." He told the stylist pointedly, "We're already running late," -he was surprisingly cheerful, despite the delay-"so make it fashionably messy."

The hairstylist fluttered back to Aurore, revealing a beige hair band. In a matter of seconds, Aurore's hair was hairsprayed put up in a bun. "Is this good, sir?"

Gabriel trekked over, examining at Aurore's face in the mirror. His face was neutral. "Excellent."

Nathalie handed the girl the first outfit, a sunshine-yellow dress with colorful lace cutouts. Aurore slipped behind a curtain, where a changing room was. The dress didn't require anyone to help her put it on, it stretched over her easily. Everyone exited the tent, choosing to wait outside in the nice weather.

Then, she heard someone screaming.

When Peacock arrived on the scene, he shot a furtive glance at his father, studying his expression. When Flaunt de León first attacked, Adrien's father appeared by his side, and clasped a protective hand on the boy's shoulder, keeping him in place. There was some mention about being safer together than apart, but the boy wasn't so sure of that.

Of course, that didn't help his situation at all. The hero shot him with a silvery blast from her fingertips, aging the boy into a man in his mid-twenties.

He had hoped his father wouldn't appear angry. After all, if Gabriel Agreste had a book on miraculous hiding behind a portrait in a hidden safe, chances are, he knew about the Peacock miraculous.

Flaunt stood in front of Gabriel, hissing. Her skin was like a mirror, shooting off holographic rainbows and shining bright. "Did you think you could kick me off for my age and get away with it, old man?"

That's when Peacock appeared. Adrien had to keep his jaw off the floor, really. Her blonde hair was brushed to the side, flowing over her shoulder and her cobalt suit. She wore basil-green gloves, and pointed boots that stopped just below her knee. Her brooch was front and center, atop her steady chest. Her mask was made of peacock feathers, and pointed slightly with her nose.

Gabriel appeared slightly relieved.

 _He doesn't know about the Peacock miraculous._ Adrien could breathe again. _Or, if he did, he's glad it's off his hands. Either way, I'm fine._

"Hey." The girl greeted the akuma, her voice laced with anxiety. "Uh…I don't know what to do here."

The villain whipped around the girl, glaring, "And who are _you_ supposed to be?"

Peacock swallowed, "Peacock. _Just_ Peacock. I don't like labels, really."

"Well, stay out of my way, or you're going to get hurt, little girl."

The girl donned a funny expression, and tilted her head back, "By doing what, exactly? Aging me up into an adult? Yeah, Lauren, really damaging. I'm going be able to drive and everything."

Enraged, Flaunt shot an aging-beam at her. Adrien mistook her weapon for a small staff, but Peacock unfolded it in a flash, revealing a feathered fan that shielded her from the silvery blast. It bounced off the feathers of the shield, and bounced onto the grass. The superheroine had her right foot in front of her, pointed at the villain, and her other foot behind her, turned ninety degrees, stretched to bear the weight of magic on her fan. Her other hand was clenched, her knuckles strained against the fabric of her gloves.

The girl let out a scream during this process, clearly terrified.

Peacock may not have sounded like a hero (literally), but she looked like one.

 _That's okay,_ the boy (man) thought, _most people would be scared their first time, too._

"It also occurs to me," Peacock told the shiny villain, "That you could also age me one-hundred years, and kill me, so I'm just—going to defeat you."

Murmuring something under her breath, the girl suddenly disappeared in thin air, leaving behind several floating feathers.

Five minutes before that, the girl was having a miniature crisis while she hid from Hawkmoth's victim.

"Please, you have to do something." Adele ordered her, "Adrien is out there!"

Aurore swallowed, hiding in a private-changing area of wardrobe, listening to the akuma rail against Gabriel over being passed over for the photoshoot. She shut her eyes, and nodded. It was Adrien, after all. It was all the crew who came to work just to photograph her. It was the model she replaced. "Give me a quick run-through."

"Okay, two powers. Camouflage and Feathers Out. One is invisibility, the other is _the exact opposite._ I mean it. Where's Yaava?" Aurore was trying to sound cool, but her smile kept faltering, her eyes kept darting to any source of noise.

Adele Agreste was bursting out of her seams.

Yaava landed on Adele's head, and that shut her up. "It will be fine," The bird kwami assured her previous master, "Aurore, just say 'Yaava, transform me!' when you're ready."

Her voice dripped with trepidation as she uttered the words.

She defeated the akuma in three minutes, flat. Adele hadn't stopped coaching her during the entire process, while helped. The older woman had remained in her black dress as she strode up to the glasslike akuma, pointed out a small bracelet on the woman's wrist.

Easy enough.

"Rip it off." Adele told her, looking away. Her eyes studied that of her husband's, her face curled into a frown. Gabriel couldn't see her, so his eyes remained on the action in front of him.

The bracelet came away when Aurore dove for it, the beads flying to the grass, as a black butterfly popped out. Peacock released her camouflage. Well, at least now everyone could see that she was just physically stepping away from the butterfly, that was flying towards her.

"Just grab the butterfly, and wait for Ladybug." Adele told her.

Aurore swallowed everything down, and gathered her strength, grabbing the butterfly by one of it's wings. She held it with the tips of her fingers, and turned around, practically shoving the butterfly in someone's face.

She stumbled back, her eyes wide as she blatantly stared. "I—Adrien, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to—"

"It's fine." He assured her, his voice lower. Adrien shook his head slightly, his eyes filled with laughter at his own tone. "You were amazing. Thanks for saving us."

He was older, more chiseled. His hair was pulled back to a sizeable bun. Adrien's face had grown a five o'clock shadow, and he also appeared taller, his skin less fresh, but still beautiful.

"You aged up well." Peacock found herself blushing under her mask, "And t-thank you, there's always something to be said about the first time."

The akuma, clearly the supermodel Aurore had replaced, regained her consciousness, but was still transformed, making for a completely awkward moment as she glanced around, trying to understand what had happened.

"Everything's alright." Aurore explained, "Just stay right where you are."

"I don't—I still remember everything." Lauren looked around, the damage she had caused was unmistakable. The decay was everywhere. "Oh god." Her voice choked back tears.

"I think you'll forget once Ladybug purifies this." Aurore explained, "I really don't know how the magic works."

Adrien spoke up, "You'll forget when she purifies the butterfly."

Gabriel Agreste cleared his throat, and heroine reeled in her words, muttering an apology as she turned pompadour pink. "You were quite excellent, Peacock. Are you new?"

She blinked, "Ah—well, I wouldn't want to get anyone's hopes up, sir. I wouldn't say—"

That was the precise moment when Queen Bee and Ladybug arrived to the scene. Queen Bee flew down, carrying Ladybug bridal-style before dropping her onto her feet. This caused Peacock to step back, and suck in a breath.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" Queen Bee's eyes betrayed fire.

Ladybug glanced to the new hero, as well, hesitant. "Are you the akuma?"

The girl shook her head, "Uh…no?" She held up the butterfly, "I'm not really into the whole 'hero' thing, so I'm going to get going, now."

The black-spotted hero stepped forward, "You're… _holding_ the akuma?"

"Yes, obviously." Aurore replied, smiling politely. She knew that Ladybug was younger than her, but not by much. Aurore was taller. "I really don't like butterflies, so if you could—"

"RIGHT, yes." Ladybug cut her off, snatching the butterfly and purifying it, doing the entire magical sequence.

 _So that's what she did when it was me._ Peacock frowned, and her miraculous beeped. "I have to go, thank you Ladybug, for purifying the akuma."

"Wait!" Ladybug called after her, "How do I know you're not an akuma?"

That stung slightly.

"Uh…because I don't want to be a superhero? You probably won't see me again." She assured the two girls.

Aurore glanced over to the older Adrien, and told him, " _You'll_ probably see me more of me, especially if this is what you look like at…what, nineteen? Yeah. See you around, Agreste."

"The nerve of that girl!" Queen Bee scowled, that night, standing with Chat and Ladybug on top of an apartment building, "Defeats the villian, saves the day, _and_ flirts with Adrien? I can't believe this."

"Yet another superheroine vying after Adrien Agreste." Chat Noir mused, glanced over to an equally frustrated Ladybug. It was amusing to see his lady also worked up over his secret identity. Slightly disheartening as well, but he tended not to focus to hard on his lady's love over Adrien and not Chat.

The girl's golden suit twisted back to the boy, staring at him, "And where were you? We might've needed you."

"You didn't."

"We might've."

"And yet, here we are meow, safe and sound."

Queen Bee rolled her eyes, and glanced over to Ladybug with slight warmth. "You okay, buginette?"

"I just don't understand how this could've happened." She told her, "How did she get ahold of the Peacock miraculous?"

Chat frowned, "Maybe she just got it on a wing and a prayer."

"Die." Queen Bee demanded, "Didn't Gabriel Agreste have it? Didn't you two _tell_ me that he had it in a weird safe in his mansion?"

Ladybug shifted, "Well, it's…complicated. I studied the book for a couple days, and I had to return the book, because I had stolen it. Fu agreed that that was the best course of action. And Adrien let me into the safe-"

 _Translation,_ Chat thought, _Adrien made Ladybug stand a far enough distance away so that Plagg could open the safe._

Six months later, Chat Noir still didn't know the girl behind his partner's mask, and neither did she. Queen Bee was equally mysterious.

"-and the Peacock miraculous was _right there_." Ladybug's voice grew pained, "And I couldn't just take it out of the safe in front of his son, so I left it behind."

Bee rolled her eyes, a vibrant blue behind a honeycomb-patterned mask, "And clearly, that Peacock wasn't Gabriel." Her voice was dripping with acid, "So who else knew that the miraculous was there?"

Ladybug paused. "I told Chat and Fu, I told you when you asked me about Volpina and the miraculous. Maybe Gabriel knew he had a miraculous. Maybe Adrien knew. _I don't know._ "

Chat Noir let out a sigh, "I'm sure that girl won't mishandle it."

"You weren't there, alley cat." Queen Bee snapped to him, "Talk about a girl unsure on her feet. If Hawkmoth got his hands on her, he'd chew her up and spit her out."

 _He already did,_ the boy thought, recalling Stormy Weather.

"We can always ask Gabriel or Adrien to show us the office footage." Ladybug offered.

Queen Bee shook her head, already envisioning the big picture. "And what would that accomplish? If Gabriel Agreste finds out that the brooch is super magical, and that it was stolen from him, he'd freak out."

"Agreed." Chat said, "And besides, I don't think we should push this Peacock girl. Her miraculous powers could help when we're fighting akumas, or fighting Hawkmoth."

"Mireille." Aurore appeared in the door of the girl's bedroom, taking note of the plain, plain decorations. Minimalist was an understatement, "What's wrong?"

"Oh, it's awful." The girl murmured, her voice threatening tears.

Aurore checked her phone. They had about and hour before class started, she went over to the bed, sitting on the gray comfortable, and placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Stop shaking, please, tell me what's wrong."

Her best friend looked up at her, staring at her with chestnut eyes that captivated Aurore. "Remember how the Alec Cataldi wanted you to win the KIDZ competition?"

Freezing in her spot, she tried to forget that very fact, "He told the two of us that I would be winning backstage during the commercial break."

"Well, he _thought_ you would win." Mireille explained, "And he's had it out for me since. He's trying to have me fired with this new assignment."

"What, are you chasing thunderstorms?"

The girl shook her head, "You know that new superhero? Peacock?"

Aurore frowned, "You know I don't really pay attention to all of that, but…yes."

"First of all, Alec pulled me into an office with Nadja Chamack, and said I was being promoted to the main news network." Mireille told the story with her head in her hands. "And they said 'We need you to be our reporter on Peacock' and 'You need to be the first to break the story' and 'You need to compete with Alya Césaire and the Ladyblog' and 'if you're not up to the task you'll have to find employment somewhere else'!"

"Oh, Mireille, that's…"

Well, Aurore wanted to win that competition.

 _You can't think like that, you need to be there for her._

"…That's terrible." She completed her sentence. "Especially when that Peacock girl said she wouldn't be seen again." Aurore stood, "We'll figure out a solution…somehow. Go shower and get dressed, we'll be late."

The girl shot the girl a soft expression, and nodded, and headed towards a hallway bathroom.

Aurore exhaled when she heard the water running, and stared at Adele, who's hands were clasped behind her back. "Say something," The girl whispered, "Out with it."

Adele smirked, "I have nothing to say, sadly."

"Tell me that being a superhero would help my friend out." Aurore scowled, crossing her arms.

The blond looked over her shoulder at the teenager, "I won't give you the satisfaction. You're already convinced."

True. Aurore wouldn't wish failure upon her friend. "So what, I just push her in the right direction, interact with her while in uniform?"

"Obviously."

"Mireille, Aurore, hey!" Adrien greeted them, dragging along Nino.

Aurore's eyebrows raised, and her heart almost stopped in her chest, "Adrien! How's it going?"

Adrien smiled at her, "It's going good, thanks."

Mireille's eyes widened, "Adrien!"

He glanced at the girl, and smiled, "Yes?"

A blush creeped over the girl's face, "I—um, I was h-hoping you could give me an interview about Peacock."

Adele smirked from across the room.

Adrien nodded, "Yeah, that's fine, I have to give an interview about to the Ladyblog, if that's alright."

"It's..." Mireille trailed off.

It wasn't alright.

Aurore picked up her teacup, and smiled politely. "Actually, my friend hoping your interview would be exclusive. She's going to be reporting on all things Peacock, and her job is on the line, if you don't mind."

Adrien raised his eyebrows, "I-I mean, yeah," He glanced over to Nino, "Do you think she'll be mad?"

"No, she's going to be spending a lot of time hunting down this Peacock character." Nino answered, "And she's currently interviewing the akuma victim. You're fine."

He shot Mireille a careful luck, "But dude, I hope you're not competing with the Ladyblog. Alya will never say it, and she'll never sabotage you, but she's competitive and determined."

"I'll…I'll be fine." The girl replied weakly, "It's just until my bosses decide whether or not to fire me."

The blonde boy frowned, "That's awful. I hope you find Peacock. Or Peacock finds you."

Peacock sighed, and shot daggers at Adele. "I don't take any pleasure in this."

"No? Training is rather important."

"Standing on top of the Notre Dame is dangerous." Aurore repeated, "Just tell me how my fan works so I can leave before anyone spots me."

Adele chuckled, her green eyes lit with warmth, " _Spots_."

Aurore rolled her eyes, and held her fan out, not unfurled, it resembled a staff. "What good is this when it's not open?"

"It's like Chat Noir's staff." Adele explained, "It can extend at your command, get you places."

The girl groaned, "So I can't fly?"

"Um, no, peacocks don't fly." She answered, "Oh, and your phone is ringing."

Well aware the girl couldn't just de-transform on top of an international landmark, the girl scaled down the building, and slipped into the shadows of the archways. She glanced at the caller ID, "Mireille? What's up?"

"I've been at this for two hours, and there's no sign of her!" She hissed, "I can't do this?"

"Well, where are you?" Aurore asked, "Maybe you're not in the right district."

"I'm by the Ponts de Arts bridge." Mireille huffed, "And I already ran into Chat Noir."

Aurore frowned, "Well, maybe stay where you are and wait? If you see on superhero, you're bound to see another."

She fished a bag of almonds out of her pocket, and tore it open with her teeth.

"Everything okay?" Mireille sounded concered, "It sounds windy, where you are?"

"I'm on the roof of my house, everything's fine. I have to go to bed soon."

After a quick goodbye, Aurore transformed, and headed in the direction of her best friend.

Chat Noir stood on top of a domed building, staring at the bridge as Mireille paced back and forth. She certainly was anxious. The boy scanned the skyline, hoping to spot a blue and green superhero.

He got closer, dropping down to the street with his staff. He rolled into the shadows of the railing. The reporter was on the other side of the bridge, and Peacock…well.

Peacock wasn't trained or experienced enough. She had a lot to learn, so for now, the cat could observe at a relatively close distance.

He glanced at his baton, checking Ladybug and Queen Bee's location on the map. They had taken to each other like ducks to water. Queen Bee was apparently a fan of Chat's partner, and Ladybug was pleased to have someone else on the team who was incredibly goal-oriented.

Their current goal included tracking Peacock down and demanding answers, which wouldn't help anyone. Adrien had mused over former akuma victims when he decided he'd steal the miraculous, and Aurore was perfect, but stressed. The last thing she needed was two peas in a pod breathing down her neck.

Mireille was calling her best friend. _Purrfect._

Peacock arrived bouncing on to the bridge soon after— _is that a staff? That's her fan? Oh my god—_ and looked rather bored, pretending not to notice the reporter.

"Peacock!"

The heroine turned to the girl, "Isn't it late for you? I must say, it isn't safe."

Even from a far away distance, Chat Noir could tell that the little Asian girl was blushing. "I—well, yes. I wanted to get an interview with me?"

"An interview?" Peacock played dumb, and jumped onto a nearby bench. "I'm afraid I'm not that interesting."

"But you are! People are saying that you're the most photogenic superhero Paris has ever had."

Peacock beamed, and inspected her gloves, as though she were checking up on the cuticles underneath, "That's very kind."

"So, would an interview be unwelcome?" The girl inquired politely, "I would appreciate it."

"You're a reporter, aren't you?"

"I am."

The heroine crossed over to the reporter, and placed her hands over her's, holding them gently. "Then, a compromise. I'll walk— _escort_ you home, and you can ask me questions in the meantime, alright?"

Mireille, shocked by the gesture, blinked rapidly, and biting her lower lip, before answering. "Um. Yes, please."

Chat Noir followed, jumping onto nearby buildings as Peacock grinned, and bowed energetically, "Lead the way. The name's Peacock."

"Mireille Caquet, charmed."

They shook hands, and the cat recognized the slight look of shock on the heroine's face. After all, standing in front of your best friend and them just… _not knowing_ was always daunting.

He glanced at his baton, let out a small yelp and flew off the bridge. Not flying towards Ladybug and Queen Bee, but certainly rushing.

Chat Noir stood against a wall, pressing his back to the brick as he glanced at his baton one more time, and let the transformation go, and immediately crossed the street as Adrien Agreste.

"You're playing a dangerous game, kitten." Plagg warned him.

"I know, but we need to give Peacock space before she'll join our team."

Ladybug and Queen Bee would spot him. They were in the area. He just had to walk away from Ponts de Arts. No big deal.

He also was hoping that he was heading in the wrong direction of Mireille's house, but he couldn't be sure.

"Adrien?"

The boy pretended to jump back, looking up at Ladybug, who was perfectly balanced on a street lamp. Queen Bee hovered above Ladybug, scrutinizing him. "Ladybug, Queen Bee! Great to see you two again."

"What are you doing walking all by yourself?" Queen Bee's voice was poisoned with concern.

Both girls were irritated, but Adrien knew that they both fancied him. He also knew that the two of them would compete with each other for his affection, but never in front of civilians. They would behave in his company.

"Uh…going on a midnight stroll!" He lied enthusiastically, "I needed fresh air."

"It's three in the morning." Ladybug commented, dropping down in front of him, "It's-it's not exactly safe for you to be out this late."

Adrien swallowed, and glanced away. His lady was especially concerned. Her hip popped to the side, her hands on her waist as she scrutinized him. He was melting on the stop.

"Is everything alright?" Her hand reached up, and clasped his forearm.

Queen Bee's nose wrinkled in anger, and she looked away, hoping the boy wouldn't notice.

"Everything's f-fine!" He held up his hands, "I was heading home."

"Isn't your house on the other side of the Siene?"

Blinking at her, he decided to do what he does best. Playing dumb, he looked around, faking bewilderment, "Is this _not_ the north side? My father doesn't really approve of me wandering around the city."

Ladybug chuckled, causing Adrien's heart to stop dead in it's tracks. "Well, clearly, he has a point, if you're _this_ lost." She turned back to her teammate.

Adrien couldn't see it, but he was sure Ladybug had the most devilish smirk across her face. She won this round.

"Queen Bee, you won't mind if I take Adrien home, while you finish patrol, right?"

 _"It's fine."_

Her tone was clearly faked, "Are you sure? He can probably afford cab fare."

" _Just go."_ She replied, crossing her arms and flying off.

Ladybug turned back to him, her expression innocent. "Shall we go, then?"

Adrien offered her his arm, "Of course, though you're the one who's supposed to be escorting me."

"I don't really mind!" She replied, hooking her arm under his, "You're quite the gentleman."

He had to suppressed (Sup- _purr-_ ess) a Chat-like grin as he thanked her.

"So, how do you like being a superhero?" Mireille's phone was recording the audio.

Aurore laughed weakly, rotating her fan in her hands, "I stopped one akuma, that's hardly worthy of 'superhero' status."

Her ghost trailed behind her, opting to give the two girls privacy.

She smiled at the girl, putting her at ease, "Have you ever been caught in an akuma attack?"

"I—well, that's personal." Peacock stiffened, "I think every citizen in Paris has been affected, in one way or another. We all know someone who knows someone who was a victim of Hawkmoth's at one point."

"It must bother you."

The heroine frowned, "It does."

Mireille pressed her lips together. "And yet, you're not interested in being a superhero?"

Peacock glanced over to the girl, "I was never the girl who wanted to be the superhero when I grew up."

"What did you want to be?"

"I guess, not that?" Aurore replied, "I mean, at one point everyone _wants_ to be the hero, and then you get into situations where you prove time and time again that you're not the hero, and you get over it."

Her best friend looked away, and Aurore suddenly felt awkward.

Peacock cleared her throat as they crossed a street, "I'm more selfish and arrogant than I am selfless and humble. I would trade away my friend's failure if it meant my own success. I'm not a hero, I don't have what it takes."

"You saved a lot of people, the other day. That entire photoshoot set." The girl pointed out, "That was heroic."

"What did I save them from? Looking a couple years older until Ladybug showed up and fixed everything?" Peacock replied quietly, "I know there are more dangerous akumas, I know the risks, but am I really needed?"

Mireille shrugged, and answered, "I guess that's for you to decide."

The reporter stopped at the steps of her family's apartment building. She turned back to the heroine, and a blush returned to her cheeks.

"Is this you?" Peacock inquired casually.

The girl nodded, and pulled her housekeys out of her pocket. "I was wondering if I could get a picture as well."

"Oh, yeah, no problem."

She pulled out her phone, and Peacock striked a pose, her smile slight, her eyes staring straight into the camera. "Wow, you really are photogenic!'

Adele caught up with the two of them, "Isn't it dangerous giving a girl a photo of you, when said girl has dozens of photos of you as Aurore?"

After goodbyes were said, Peacock slipped into an alleyway, and extended her fan, using it to climb to the roof.

She landed, her feet hitting the gravelly roof. "That went well." Aurore commented to Adele.

"I would say so." Except it wasn't her companion. "I'm surprised you spotted me from the street, though."

Turning, she had to catch herself on the edge of the roof, as she faced Chat Noir. She willed her fan to shrink back to the size of a baton, and unfurled her fan. Her blood ran cold.

The black cat popped his hip, and tilted his head. "Cat got your tongue?"

Peacock rolled her eyes, "Are you stalking me?"

"No," Chat frowned, "Though, I _did_ spend a good portion of the evening keeping Queen Bee and Ladybug away from you. I am sorry for scaring you."

She bit her lip, and her eyebrows pushed together, "Okay. What do you want?"

The cat pulled out his baton, rolling it around his wrist casually. "Nothing. I really don't think my teammates should be pressuring you or hunting you down."

"Why don't you just tell that to them?"

Chat sighed, "We've had akumas pretend to be superheroes in the past. They're being cautious. Now, I know you're the real deal, but you know how akumas can be, don't you?"

Aurore crossed her arms, "I don't know much about akumas, I'm afraid."

He stiffened slightly, his eyes widened, and nodded, "Yes, of course. I best be going. Have a lovely evening Peacock."

"T-thanks." Peacock frowned, watching the cat bounce from roof to roof, before hopping away, as well.


	4. Chapter 4

"A tense hostage situation in downtown Paris today. An akuma has taken an entire bank hostage today. Some twenty men, women, and children are inside." The reporter announced into a microphone. "Word has come that the akuma is demanding to trade Peacock for the safety of all the hostages."

Aurore blinked, watching the footage on her phone. She was four streets over, at a nearby park. The shade of an overhanging tree concealed her and the kwami hanging off her wrist, watching the feed.

Adele stood in front of her, "You can't give up your miraculous."

"I shouldn't?" She looked up, feigning shock.

She shook her head, "Hawkmoth can't have my miraculous. I have…too much knowledge on miraculous. It would be dangerous."

The girl nodded, switching over to her e-mails. Mireille was also on the scene. Alya from the Ladyblog had reported that Chat Noir, Ladybug, and Queen Bee were already on the outskirts. "We should go." She told the motherly figure. She picked the bag of almonds out of her purse, "Yaava, what do you think?"

The kwami tittered, took an almond, and glanced over to Adele, "I think Hawkmoth is going to target the newest miraculous user, you, for awhile. You should get used to this."

Swallowing, she leaned off of the tree and headed in the right direction.

Aurore would be there soon, but for now, her lower lip trembled, and her feet felt heavy. She slipped into a nearby alley, the bank in sight as she ducked behind a dumpster.

"Everything's going to be fine." Adele assured her, "You have me. I'll be right there."

Her hands gripped her parasol, "I know. Yaava, transform me!"

The second skin slid over her, erasing her umbrella, her small heels, her blue dress. The magic left behind the familiar suit.

 _Blue really is my color._

She brushed her hair away from her face, and shot a glance towards the bank. Her fan immediately started ringing. "What is this?"

"Communicator."

"Fantastic." She pressed a button, and Chat's face appeared on screen, "How did you get this number?"

Chat frowned, "Where are you?"

"I'm nearby." Peacock replied, "I can see you from here."

"We need you." The cat told her, looking around wildly, "The akuma blocked every entrance."

She frowned, "I can get in."

Ladybug shoved her face into Chat's baton, "There's something else," she told her. "The akuma doesn't _look_ like an akuma. We can see through the windows, and there's no crazy costume or anything. It's invisible. It's voice is really loud, though."

Peacock glanced away, "Okay. Thanks for the rundown, I'll be there shortly."

The girl stepped out of the alley, and quickly hopped across the street. The police had set up a barricade, keeping back reporters and civilians.

Her eyes fell to a police officer with a megaphone, and she strode up to the man, a portly redheaded man. "I'm here."

His eyes widened, "I can't believe it's you! You keep saying you're going to disappear."

"I know." She grimaced. "Hand me your megaphone."

The officer complied, and Peacock climbed onto the roof of the police car. "Wait! This is a hostage situation, You can't just—"

"I'm giving myself up." She ignored the man, and shouted into the microphone, "Send out all the hostages, I'm coming in."

"Peacock." The voice hissed, reverberating and shaking the care, "How do I know this isn't a trick?"

The bird-themed hero inhaled, "No trick, I promise."

"Make sure your teammates won't follow you in."

Glancing over to the trio of heroes on the other side of the building, she pressed her lips together, and hopped off the car, "Alright, it's a deal."

The hostages filed out, and Peacock ran to meet them after handing back the speaker. They tried to speak. In fact, they were desperate to talk to her, but their lips couldn't come apart. "What happened?" She demanded, frozen in her spot.

When Peacock stopped walking, so did the hostages, and they stumbling, being dragged back towards the steps of the bank. It was as through ropes were pulling their feet out from under them.

"Peacock, keep your promises." The voice boomed.

The girl nodded, and when she started taking steps towards the bank, whatever power over them ceased, and they started running towards the barricade.

Her hand was on the door of the ornate door. The stringy texture of the glass pressed into her palms as she pushed the door open.

She unfurled her fan, looking around the building. The marble echoed under her feet, and she was displeased by the open space. Everything had a slight thread-spun sparkle to it.

"I don't see the akuma." Adele murmured.

"Behind the counter?" Peacock wandered around the room, glancing behind columns in the oval-shaped room.

Suddenly the world stopped. She whirled around to Adele, her pupils dilated. "Aurore—"

Looking up at the ceiling, she saw a big, black spider, biting its pincers at her. She felt the weight of all the spider's invisible thread upon her. Although the string passed through Adele easily, Aurore had to spin her fan out. She rolled to avoid the thread further.

The spider descended, like a thief after a diamond. She stepped back, passing her weapon back and forth in her hands. Hissing, the spider shot more web at her. Holding up her fan, she ignored Adele's words of warning. The web was elastic, and rapped around her and the fan. Aurore was literally floored under the burden, landing on her stomach and letting out a pained grunt.

 _This is it, I'm done._

After making a strangled noise, the spider made no move. Aurore heard the clicking of men's shoes on the tiles. Her head twisted, despite the constrictions on her throat and entire body.

Adele leaned down next to Aurore, "We can do this. We'll figure out a solution."

"Who are you?" Peacock said, despite the twinkling string curled around her jaw and face.

He was close to her, his purple trousers and black dress shoes were close, Aurore could smell the shoe polish. "Hawkmoth." He replied. His cane tapped her shoulder.

Her blood ran cold. No power she had at her disposal would change her situation. "You're not going to get away with my miraculous." A snarl formed across her face.

The man chuckled, "That's not what I want, girl."

Her turned on his heels, walking away from her, "Wait," She breathed.

"The more you move, the tighter those spiderwebs will become." Hawkmoth snapped back at her.

"I have a question for you!" She sputtered, her throat tight. The girl tried to twist up to see his face, but her vision was blacking out.

"Aurore." Adele pleaded, "You can't bargain with him, you can't argue."

He groaned, and twisted his hand around the cane. The strings loosened slightly, and she could see the amused smirk on his face. "What is it, girl?"

"If a miraculous user is—"

"AURORE!" Adele's voice was so loud.

Peacock's mouth clamped shut, and she twisted away from the man.

"What, cat got your tongue?" His tone featured amusement and condescension.

"If Chat Noir were here, you would know it, wouldn't you?" Aurore spat back, "Why are you here?"

Hawkmoth frowned, "I wanted to see what kind of hero you were." The man clicked his tongue. "Clearly, you're no hero."

Anger flooded the girl, and that elicited laughter from the old man, one hand clasped on his cane, and the other stroked his chin. "You're emotions are your weakness."

"I'll destroy you." She thrashed, "You're not going to get away with this."

"Watch me." Letting out a low hum, the man turned on his heel, and started heading for the back door, "Good luck defeating Arachneedle, by the way."

Peacock frowned, and her body twisted against the restraints. Her fingers were still clasped around her fan, thankfully. "Camoflauge," she whispered. She hoped the spider had particularly bad eyesight.

Ceasing her movements, her thumb danced over her fan, hoping to call Chat Noir.

"Peacock?" The voice was muffled against the string, "Where are you?"

She didn't say a word, but rather, hung up, and called again. She did this three more times before the boy burst through the doors with Ladybug and Queen Bee in tow. Once the Peacock felt the spider turn around, she released her invisibility, and worked to unfold her fan and willing it to increase in size.

"You can do this." Adele murmured, "They're going to defeat the spider. Whatever you do, don't tell them that Hawkmoth was here."

"Why?" Aurore whispered back, her tone panicked. She really didn't like tight spaces. "He was here."

"And now he's not. Don't give them any reason to mistrust you."

The strings around her melted away in a pink light, and she rolled back up to a standing position. "Sorry I couldn't be more help." She told the three weakly.

The akuma purified, and the victim sent away (apparently a professional quilter was denied a loan), the four stared at each other in silence, until Chat broke it. "I don't believe we've met." He turned to her, his smile wide, "Chat Noir."

"Peacock." She answered, shaking his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"The _purr-_ leasure is all mine." He sniffed, and his eyes widened as he covered his reddening nose, muttering curses under his breath.

Ladybug's eyebrows raised, "Chat? Are you alright?"

"Ah—my civilian self is allergic to feathers, it must carry over." He glanced to the girl, his eyes watering, "At least only your mask is made of feathers, right?"

"I guess." Peacock agreed. "Again, sorry I couldn't be of much help."

Queen Bee rolled her eyes, "You just freed two dozen hostages, birdy, you were plenty helpful. You also got the last akuma."

"I want to get better, actually. I'd…"

Her voice trailed off, and she looked down. This was the moment. Aurore considered herself a woman to her word, and knew that there would be no going back.

"I'd love to be a part of the team."

No one said anything. They all looked surprised however. If they said anything, Aurore wouldn't have listened anyway.

The girl's miraculous beeped, her voice was low, "The akuma said I didn't— _Hawkmoth_ said I didn't through the akuma—that I didn't have what it takes."

Chat's hand was on her shoulder, his voice soft, "Pea—"

"I'm going to prove him wrong." She pointed her noise, "I'll be out tonight training. If anyone would like to join me, please feel free."

Peacock shrugged off the boy, and passed the two shocked heroines on her way out the front doors.

Paris greeted her as a hero. The street erupted in cheers as she descended the steps, her hair bouncing behind her as the scene pulsated. Alya got to her first, ducking and hip-checking her way across the front lines.

"Alya, Ladyblog, can I have a minute?"

The girl frowned, "I don't have a minute to spare, I'm afraid."

When she passed Mireille, speaking to a camera, she made sure to stop, however.

"One question, make it quick." Her voice was clipped.

"Does this mean you're a hero now?" The girl was quick.

The heroine nodded, "As of today, I'm committed to protecting Paris."

* * *

"Aurore, we do need to talk." Adele told her when they returned to her bedroom.

She looked back at the woman, whose face was soft. "What, Adele?"

The girl sat at Aurore's vanity, and examined the array of powders and palettes. "Hawkmoth can't know that I'm inside the Peacock miraculous."

"What if he knows how to fix this?" The blonde fired back, "What if we're not trying hard enough? What if there's a spell or something that can undo it?"

"Fu or I would know about it." Adele replied, "It's okay, really."

Pushing her bangs off her face, she glared at the older woman, "Why would you do this? Why would you purposely bind yourself to the miraculous?"

Eyes widened, and Adele's mouth shrunk into a small frown, "I panicked. You don't understand."

"You were afraid of death?"

"No!" She answered, her voice raising, "I didn't—I couldn't leave my family behind."

Aurore stood back, and exited her bedroom. Somehow, her sympathy for a mother choosing to be a superhero over being a mother was lacking.

After all, her dad was on the phone with her mom, who was half a world away.

"What do you mean?" His voice drifted across her ears. Augustine Beauréal wasn't an angry man by any means. As an actor, he had a strong control over his emotions. Tonight was different. "Another three months? Claire…how is that fair to our daughter?"

Her feet froze halfway down the stairs, listening to the conversation.

"She needs her mother." He told her fiercely, "You could always bring your career to Paris, you know."

There was a pause, and the girl decided that she didn't want to listen in anymore, and turned back up the stairs.

Adele raised her eyebrows at the girl curiously, and asked, "What, is your mother a businesswoman?"

"Stage actress." Aurore replied, fishing her homework out of her bag and setting herself to work. "Broadway."

* * *

Peacock and Queen Bee were currently staring down Chat Noir. They were outside the Louvre, well past midnight.

There was a comment about the birds and the bees a few seconds prior to that moment, but it's best not to mention it.

Ladybug arrived shortly after, and her eyes flickered between the three of them. "Why are you all blonde? I can't be the _only_ brunette here."

"I'm the only guy, Ladybug." Chat Noir protested, "Imagine how I feel…not that I'm complaining, of course."

Queen Bee rolled her eyes, and turned back to her sparring partner, "Okay, bluebird—"

" _Peacock._ " She corrected the girl for the umpteenth time.

"Are you sold on that name?" Queen Bee asked, "Bluebird rolls off the tongue."

She bounced on her feet, "Let's go, Bee."

The girl held up her bow, and withdrew an arrow. She notched it, aiming for the ground, and fired. The arrow barely struck the ground before exploding in a small puff of smoke. "Avoid the arrows, rookie. Your invisibility trick isn't going to last you very long."

"I have a second power as well." The bird told her.

Queen Bee, who's powers were limited to the words she could write on the side of an arrow, deadpanned, "Good for you."

Peacock took walked away from her, and looked over her shoulder at Bee. "No, seriously, I haven't used it yet. Would you mind?"

"Go for it." Queen Bee flew up, "We'll keep going until your miraculous gives out."

She swallowed, and glanced over to Adele as furtively as possible. "Feathers out!" She shouted.

Her entire body was doused in a sparkling blue glow. She stared down Queen Bee, trying to discern the effect.

Something overcame Queen Bee. Her eyes were fierce, and the girl let loose an arrow.

Peacock jumped out of the way, the arrow striking the cement and dissipating. Her eyes scanned the sky as the heroine dashed around the sky. Arrows rained down as Peacock ducked and weaved.

Adele frowned, "Use your shield, Aurore."

She whipped out her fan, willing it to grow in size as she deflected arrows away from her. Her movements were fluid as she spun, flip, and slid away from the volley. There was no longer a time to think as she danced away.

When her miraculous beeped, she let her magic go, and Queen Bee immediately nose dived to the ground, landing in a giant heap.

"Bee!" Peacock ran towards her.

The girl stood, and sucked in a huge breath, "I couldn't stop fighting you, girl. That's a really weird power."

She spun back immediately, facing Adele for confirmation, who nodded, quickly.

"Everything alright?" Ladybug looked in the direction that Peacock was looking at, staring into the skyline.

 _Right._

The blonde nodded, "Yeah, everything's fine."

"That's a neat power." Chat Noir stood by her side, "It'll come in handy when we fight akuma."

Peacock turned to him, her expression beyond disbelief, "Fight akumas?"

He raised his left arm, and scratched the back of his neck, politely chuckling, "Yes, akuma. What you've already done."

"I don't want to fight akuma." She frowned, "I want stop Hawkmoth, once and for all."

Ladybug frowned, "We don't know the first thing about him, Peacock. It's like finding a needle in a haystack."

Her eyebrows pushed together, "I'll find a needle in a haystack if that's what it takes."

A smile curled across the black cat's lips, "Then I propose a compromise. You and I can find Hawkmoth together, and Ladybug and Queen Bee can fight akuma in the meantime."

A choked noise emerged from Ladybug's throat, "Chat, w-wait. We need to think this through."

He turned back to her, and took note of the jealousy across her eyes, her frozen smile, and answered, "We said we'd split up into two teams, my lady. As the senior members of team meow-raculous, we should be split to give the other two the best possible advantage."

Queen Bee elbowed her best friend, smirking wildly, "Come on, Ladybug, wasn't it obvious that our Peacock really liked that reporter girl?

The girl rolled her eyes, and turned to Chat Noir. "Do you have an e-mail or something?"

Apparently, he did, and unzipped his pockets, revealing a small, black and green business card. He shot a sly look to his other teammates, "I _told_ you business cards would come in handy."

"We don't have pockets, you stray." Queen Bee snapped back.

Taking the card in her hands, she turned it over in her hands. It was weighty, expensive, and had an embossed e-mail, as well as a simplistic outline of a black cat in green. On the other side was curly text.

"Chat Noir," She read the card, "Su _purr_ hero."

Ladybug groaned.

"There's a different cat pun on each card." He beamed. "I'm glad you like puns."

Peacock glanced up, "I don't, but I appreciate the effort you put into this."

Her miraculous beeped again.

"I have to go."


	5. Chapter 5

There was something relaxing about a zipper coming together up your spine, pulling a perfectly fitting dress across your chest. Aurore couldn't help but smile when she marveled the tailored garment in the mirror.

Her heels clicked across the ballroom floor, her hair in a classical up-do, revealing her neck and toned shoulders. It had almost been a disaster the week before, when they were doing a final fitting and it slightly strained against the toned muscles she had gained over the past few weeks. Moonlighting as a superhero had invariably caused panic among the patternmakers, and a few were inevitably blamed and scolded for not taking down the correct measurements in the first place. Aurore tried to assuage them, by saying that she was working out more, but it was for nothing.

Adrien was already dressed in a standard tuxedo. After all, the shoot was for the dresses she would be wearing that day. Inevitably, the two of them would be ballroom dancing.

Someone offhandedly suggested that Aurore and Adrien had _excellent chemistry_ together. When photographed as a pair, Aurore was a bubbly girl, trying to mask it all in a cool shell, and Adrien acted like he was devilishly aware of her secret, with smirks and thoughtful looks.

It showed in every picture, to the girl's complete frustration.

Gabriel Agreste, being aware of the situation, decided that forcing them to waltz together would exacerbate the dynamic while advertising the yearly bridal collection.

Of course, that meant that for two weeks up until this moment, they were in dance classes together. Sweaty, aggravating, dance classes.

Honestly, she thought she'd be more excited to dance with him, but it all felt a little out of place. They were good friends, he was gentle in nature and encouraged her confidence, and she dragged him out of his shell well enough. There was nothing romantic about it, however, and the girl felt like there would never be.

"You look great." He murmured.

Relaxing slightly, Aurore went to him, placed a hand on his shoulder, and replied, "You clean up nicely, Adrien."

He smirked, and when the music started, they danced. Doing their best to ignore the pair of photographers hovering around them.

"Act natural." Adele told her, "It's Adrien. You've done this dozens of times."

She looked up into the boy's eyes. "Have you danced before this?" Her voice smile was beaming.

Chuckling, he replied, "I've been fencing for years. So I'm versed in footwork. My parents danced, however."

"Did they?" She cast him a knowing gaze.

His mother was coaching her, "Aurore, lift your chin slightly, and you're not at church, dance closer to him. Loosen your grip on his hand, relax your fingers."

Adrien smiled as she adjusted, spinning her out, "They did." He glanced around quickly. "My father is at three o'clock, near the wall. I'm sure we'll get notes."

"Not if I have any say in it." Adele scowled, crossing her arms and pacing, "The camera is matching your movements, Aurore, trying to catch you in profile or in three-quarters."

"Fantastic." Aurore replied, rolling her eyes.

The song faded out, and she pulled away, and his hands held hers. He looked down, his thumbs running races across her knuckles. "People mistake you for sunshine, but I think you're a torrential downpour."

That got a reaction from the girl, her eyes widened, her smile dropped into a line. There was a second, and she squeezed his hands as she laughed.

"Aurore, Adrien." Gabriel was so birdlike in his descent that he might have fallen from the sky as he approached them. "Excellent dancing, however—"

"Here it comes." Adele muttered.

"Adrien, you're posture isn't straight enough." Gabriel's eyes sparkled, and there was a trace amount of delight in his voice, "It wasn't a problem in this take, but don't let it happen in the next one."

Aurore quirked an eyebrow, her tone overly professional, "Anything for me, sir?"

The old man adjusted his glasses, "If there was anything I needed to note to you, you corrected it by the end of the set. I've never met a model who was so self-directed. Well done, Aurore."

She nodded, her mouth twisting to suppress the arrogant smile that was forming across her lips. Excusing herself, she crossed back into the other room, to get into the next dress.

"Self-directed." Adele hissed, "Please."

"You loved that as much as I did." Aurore answered, under her breath.

Adrien found her in the changing room, and kicked out the assistant, begging for privacy. "There's something I have to tell you." He sounded urgent.

Aurore would've thought that there might be some spark between them, some blushing in a scenario where a teenaged boy was in the same room as a half dressed teenaged girl. Aurore felt nothing of the sort, however. Adrien was just a person. Like a brother, even.

He moved behind her, fastening the clasps to the back of the dress, "I'm—"

The boy's breath hitched, and she saw the panic flash across his face, the questioning and self doubt. Adrien seemed to recover, and his frozen hands melted as he closed the dress.

"I was going to say that I'm really happy that we've become great friends." He forced out.

Adele chuckled and rolled her eyes.

"Same." The girl agreed with him, letting his hesitation go. "I didn't expect it either."

* * *

Chat Noir and Peacock were in a private room of a public library. One that they had requested be reserved exclusively for them over the next month.

…Which was an awkward conversation to have with a frazzled college student manning the front desk, but it was managed. They had been presented with a key, and the security camera in the room was disabled, after a small deposit was paid for by both parties.

Peacock stared at the boy, who was hanging up a map. "What's the point of all this?"

"I made a map of where all the akumas have attacked so far." He told the girl, "If we can find some sort of equidistance, we can possible locate the center of the akuma source."

"Where Hawkmoth is?" Peacock asked, unsure, "He could change location, you know."

"Look at the amount that happen at College Dupont, though." He replied, moving his finger across the map, "Le Grand Paris."

The woman leaned back, "Chloe Bourgeois, right? I heard that she causes a good amount of akumas."

Chat Noir nodded, "It's just concentrated around there, you know? We could start searching for locations. Like the basement of the school, or rooms in the hotel, or—"

Peacock frowned, "I think we're underestimating him. Did you date the akumas?"

The boy frowned, "What do you mean?"

"I'm just saying…it doesn't seem like Chloe has caused a lot of akumas lately." Peacock told him matter-of factly, "For about five months, right?"

She started to take post-its off the map, removing akumas that were caused by Chloe.

Lady Wifi, Dark Cupid, Evillustrator, Rogercop, Horrificator, and Princess Fragrance disappeared. The notes were placed on the table. The pattern became more scattered. "See?" The glanced over to him, "The map is less biased now, and those akumas were within the first year of the attacks.."

Chat Noir grinned, "And Chloe hasn't caused an akuma in quite a while."

"Almost like she's turned a stone." Peacock agreed.

The cat shook his head, chuckling, "Chloe probably got tired of getting attacked all the time."

Their eyes scanned the map, and she eventually suggested, "We could focus on the few that _are_ concentrated together." Aurore's finger pressed to two post-its. "These? Why are they together?"

Chat Noir shrugged, "That's Jackady and Stormy Weather."

The girl stiffened, and turned away. He watched her react, her eyes dart the ground and her fists ball, before she swallowed, "So that means our villain was watching the television?"

Adele raised her eyebrows, clearly puzzled at the kneejerk reaction, but said nothing.

"Maybe it's not that simple." The cat told her, "I—I would say that Hawkmoth knows about what's going on around town. Stormy Weather and Jackady were participating in city-wide contests. So was Kung Food."

Nodding she turned back to him. "So we should keep up with the social section of Paris. Contests, big events, Hawkmoth's bound to be active around those times, and we could search for his lair."

"His nest?"

She hummed, agreeing with whatever he was saying. It was probably a pun.

"A cocoon?"

"That's too small." Her eyes widened. "Chat, turn around. I'm going to ask my kwami something before I forget."

An expression crossed the boy's face. Suddenly, she felt like her whole body had been replaced by a glass window, something he could see right through. It sent a shiver down her spine, and she suddenly had a thousand questions for him.

 _Why were you so quick to accept me onto the team?_

He turned around, a smirk on his face, and she sighed.

Dropping her transformation, she cupped the blue kwami in her hands. "You can't tell me Hawkmoth's identity, obviously, but can you tell me about his magic?"

Her blue eyes bore into Adele's. The mother replied, "I can."

Yaava smiled wide, "Yes, I believe so."

"The butterflies." Aurore asked them, "Does he just create them out of thin air? Is there a source? Where do they go?"

The bird chirped, and flew up, spinning through the air, "No," Yaava answered, "They appear when the man transforms with the miraculous, and then he corrupts one."

"There has to be a space for him." Chat Noir exclaimed. Still turned away from him. "Or else someone would notice all the butterflies!"

"Genius." Adele muttered with an eye roll.

The peacock kwami flew forward at the boy, who immediately recoiled from it. "I wasn't aware that cats were afraid of birds."

"Ah-ha." Chat replied, stepping back, "It's more of an aversion."

Yaava flew forward quickly, and the boy stumbled back. Aurore caught him, in her arms. "Don't look, Chat Noir."

"I think you're allergic." The kwami told the boy, "Though, I don't care, I just want to make Plagg's boy squirm."

Adele chuckled, "Come on, Yaava."

Aurore stepped back, allowing Chat to come with her as he escaped the dramatic kwami.

"That's enough." Aurore chided, her chin resting between Chat's ears. "Yaava—"

That's when her phone started to ring in her back pocket.

Internal sirens were going off, she was preparing her battle stations. She pushed Chat Noir off of her, yanked out her pigtails, and whipped around. She pulled the phone out of her pocket.

 _Mireille, I love you, but I will kill you._

She answered the video call. "Hey, what's up?"

"Why weren't you answering your calls? There's an akuma after me." The girl's voice was laced with panic, her bob of black hair in a state of disarray.

Aurore sucked in a breath, "Where are you? I'll get the info to Alya who can get it to Ladybug."

"I don't know!" She answered. Her face was only illuminated by the screen. "This male intern asked me out at the station and I turned him down and suddenly his skin turned gray and his outfit kept changing and…"

"What did he do?" The blonde's voice was transformed into a low growl.

"He dragged me here. I'll send you my location, so you can get it to someone who can _do something._ "

Sighing, she nodded, and when her phone beeped with a new e-mail, she opened it, memorizing the address like the back of her hand. "Where is the akuma?" Aurore demanded.

"I think he said something about doing one thing for Hawkmoth and then coming back for me." She whispered, glancing around, "He locked me in some room."

"Okay." Aurore sighed, "I'll see what I can do from here. I—I have Chat Noir's e-mail, from when that all happened to me. You'll be okay. I have…I have to go."

The girl's eyes widened, "Aurore—"

"Trust me."

Her blue eyes bore into those mahogany brown eyes until she nodded. "Okay, I'll talk to you later."

"Okay, be safe."

Aurore hung up. She turned to the black cat, who looked at her and frowned, "I know what it's like to have loved ones in danger too." The ears _twitched,_ "Go save her. I know what she means to you."

So he knew her identity.

She looked down, her shoulders rose, and crashed against herself. "Okay. Yaava, transform me."

"Let's go."

* * *

Two superheroes bursting out of a private library conference room wouldn't be _that_ suspicious in Paris. However, two superheroes calmly walking out, locking the door behind them, and acting casual as they exited was definitely suspicious.

The Ladyblog reported that Chat Noir and Peacock were seen, implying that an akuma could be out and about as well.

"Mireille is all the way across town." Peacock glanced at the map on her fan, the pin she dropped still kilometers away. "Maybe we should defeat the akuma before we find her. That'll solve everyone's problems."

She didn't bother to hide the anxiety in her voice, the panic in her shaking fingers, or the desperate look in her eyes.

Chat frowned, "I know what she means to you, Aurore. Let's split up. You get Mireille and get her somewhere safe, I'll get the akuma."

She nodded, and then started heading towards the a local, theatre, which was closed due to construction.

"Be careful." Adele told her, trailing her.

Aurore nodded, and dropped down onto a fire escape across the street, "Sadly, the main theatre won't have any windows. We'll have to get in through the roof and work our way down."

The woman nodded. "Get in, get out. No lollygagging."

"Okay, grandma."

Adele said nothing as Aurore hopped across the street, crouching on her hands and knees on the gravel rooftop. "I need you to check for a trap door." She hissed, hoping not to get spotted.

She crossed her arms, looking like she wanted to comment on the entire 'grandma' thing, but stalked around the roof instead. "Here."

Crawling over, she pulled up on the handle, and peaked down into a cylindrical tunnel and metal latter. "Let's go, then."

Once down the letter and on the grate catwalk, she glanced around, looking for a sign of her best friend

Mireille was probably in a prop closet somewhere. Aurore found the next ladder, and dropped down, hoping to locate her and make a quick exit.

In the dead silence of the theatre, she had to work to make sure her footsteps were silent. She crossed to the upstage, trying to find her best friend.

"Aurore!" Her voice cried out ecstatically.

She whipped around, immediately, and her eyes adjusted to the wing.

And there, in the flesh, was an Aurore Beauréal being tackle-hugged by a Mireille Caquet coming out of a dressing room.

"That's not you, is it?" Adele whispered.

The blonde was beaming as Mireille turned to the superheroine, "Peacock! Thank you for coming."

"O-of course."

She couldn't help but notice the fake Aurore, and her hand snaking around Mireille's waist. Peacock flushed, her insides flooding with jealousy.

Mireille was beaming, though.

The heroine swallowed, "What happened, Mireille?"

Looking at her feet, she glanced back to Peacock. "This intern named Olivier asked me out, and I told him that I…"

"What?" Aurore's nose nuzzled into Mireille's cheek. "That you have a huge crush on me?"

Peacock's eyes turned into saucers. She crossed to the couple, and ripped Aurore away.

"What are you doing?!" Mireille stumbled back in the process, falling onto the black stage.

Gripping the girl by the shoulders, the heroine snarled, "This _isn't_ your friend."

Mireille sputtered, "Y-yes that is! That's my best friend."

Aurore, to her credit, was a decent actress who was rendered speechless, but was nodding frantically.

"Trust me." Peacock replied coolly, "This is the akuma. Ask _Aurore_ only something she would know."

The girl glanced away, biting her lip and pushing her eyebrows together, "What happened after the KIDZ competition, Aurore?"

Answering immediately, the model said, "We were both attacked by Storm—"

Throwing her right hook, Peacock sent the akuma spiraling as the fake girl clutched her fake jaw.

"Mireille, you have to go." She demanded, "It's not safe."

The akuma let out a cold, dark chuckle, and turned back to the two teenaged girls. Peacock protected her best friend, expanding her fan in front of her.

It was still Aurore, but the disguise was breaking, she looked at them with a wide smile, her teeth pointed like jagged rocks, her eyes too large for her face. "She's not going anywhere."

Her hand ran through her hair. "Feathers out!"

The shift was immediate, the akuma couldn't stop staring at the hero, and suddenly, Aurore saw a flash of gray leather skin, and then saw a face she recognized.

The akuma had turned into the spitting image of Mireille, and lunged. Peacock shoved the real girl out of the way, and turned back to the akuma, frozen in place.

How could she attack her?

Peacock dodged, not sure of what to do. If she dropped her magical lure, the akuma could go after Mireille and turn back into Aurore.

 _Wait._

 _Is this akuma supposed to turn into my crush?_

Before she had a chance to think much further, Adele was shouting.

Instinctively putting her fan out, she blocked the long, claw-like nails that the akuma was using as her weapon. They screeched against the feathers, as though it were metal.

She forgot about the akuma's other hand. Blocking one hand with a small fan, and turning your body perpendicular to the enemy, gave the enemy a wide space to cut in with the pivot of one foot.

Aurore cried out. Clutching her stomach, her eyes screwed shut as she bit her lip bloody, forcing herself to stand upright.

Hands were around her in a second, her skin as soft as butter. Her perfume smelt of roses and other flowers. She was uplifting her quite literally, sweeping her off her feet into a motherly embrace.

"It'll be alright." Adele promised, smoothing back her hair, setting her down. "Stay calm."

The woman left her side. Aurore's vision was darkening, but what she saw was unmistakable. The blonde plucked two concert tickets out of the akuma's pocket, and ripped them in half. The black akuma flew up, and she snatched it out of the air.

Perhaps it was a trick of the light, but Adele Agreste might've absorbed the akuma, leaving nothing behind but a confused teenaged boy, and memories that wouldn't go away.

Adele scooped Aurore in her arms, and ran, dripping a bloody trail behind her.

 _(AN: Check me out on tumblr at gabriel-fucking-agreste_ )


	6. Chapter 6

Aurore came back to, to the voices of Adele and Fu.

She cried out, her fingers lubricated in dark, sticky blood. There was little else to focus on. Adele carried her into a small bathroom, laying her down in a bathtub, her back propped up against the tile.

The woman was shouting, her green eyes electrified. She stood, letting Fu and Wayzz flock to the girl.

He placed something strong smelling under her nose, and her transformation dropped, everything was quickly staining in red.

"Aurore!" Yaava cried out, floating in front of her, "You need to stay awake, whatever you do, don't fall back asleep."

"Adele." Fu told the woman as he worked, "Light the incenses and meditate outside."

"What? I can't leave her!" She replied, desperate.

Wayzz flew up from Adele's stomach. "You need to remain calm in your current state. Extorting energy to bring her here was a necessary risk. All this needless panicking is complicating the healing process."

Her eyes widened. The woman nodded a shaky breath, and left, the bathroom door closing behind her.

"How did she—"

Yaava landed on her shoulder, cooing. "It'll be alright, Aurore. Relax, okay? You need to remain calm."

She strained her head up, staring at the ceiling as Fu got to work, speaking in a language she couldn't understand, sprinkling herbs around her. Wayzz dissolved, turning into green energy that sparkled over the deep gashes across her stomach. Fu stopped for a moment, and went to the medicine cabinet behind the mirror, revealing small scissors.

He cut away her dress, and she swallowed. Wayzz flew up, and the pain subsided significantly.

"You need to sit up," Fu whispered, "Grab that bar so I can wrap your stomach."

She moved her hands, grabbed the metal bar above the bathtub, pushing aside the towels and forcing herself off the wall.

More tears sprang to her eyes. "Will it scar?"

"You'll have to apply this blue ointment daily, and keep her bandages fresh." Fu told her, "It won't scar."

He helped her up, her feet shaking as she left the tub. Fu wrapped a robe around her. She stood, gathering breath back into her lungs, though it still hurt to breathe.

She left the bathroom as he ran the shower, running all the blood down the drain.

Adele whirled to her. She sat in the center of a salt circle. On a nearby table, incense were lit, little trails of smoke wafting through the air. "You're alright," She stated.

Aurore winced, and quipped, "You sound disappointed."

Adele stood, and shook her head. She headed towards the kitchen area on the other side of the room, to the fridge.

"I thought you didn't eat."

Her hand passed through the door, and she answered with a note of melancholy, "I don't. I was hungry, however."

Her eyebrows pushed together, "Adele, how did you carry me across town?"

"You went into shock," She told her, "You probably hallucinated."

 _Hallucinated._ Aurore frowned, "I didn't hallucinate, Adele."

The woman turned around, "Please, girl, you don't want to look into this."

She spun back to Fu, who was emerging from the bathroom, "You! You said something about extorting my energy! What does that mean?"

In a stroke of the beard on his chin, Master Fu replied simply, "It is not something for you to worry about."

"It's _nothing_ for me to worry about?" Aurore scoffed, "I get gutted like a fish and Adele is able to carry me across town without phasing through me? She just so _happens_ to feel hunger? What's going on?"

The two, Master Fu and his protégé, didn't meet each other's gaze. Neither of them would look at Aurore, either.

Yaava landed on Aurore's shoulder, shuddering. It clicked.

"There is a way to free you from the Peacock miraculous." Aurore stated.

Adele exhaled, "We couldn't tell you. It's not an option."

Aurore found herself crumpling to the floor, ignoring the bursts of pain shooting from her stomach.

* * *

"Adrien."

His heart jumped out of his chest as he turned to Nathalie from his computer monitor. He minimized his screens, hoping his father's assistant wouldn't spot the correspondence between Chat Noir and Mireille Caquet. "Yes, what is it?"

"Your father wants to speak with you in his office immediately."

Nodding, he stood as casually as he could muster, "Is something wrong?"

Her lips pursed slightly. "He'll let you know."

 _Everything is going to be fine. I'm sure it's just a modelling thing._

He bound down the stairs, brushing his hair with his hands into submission and straightening his collar. Ladybug had messaged him earlier, saying that her kwami didn't feel the presence of the akuma anymore, and he had an appointment with Mireille after midnight to discuss what happened. Despite that mystery, Adrien was calm. He typically didn't let his stresses as Chat Noir disrupt his normal life.

Knocking on the door, he turned the handle and went inside. "You wanted to see me, Father?"

Gabriel stood, and gestured to a chair in front of his desk. "Have a seat, son."

Swallowing, Adrien crossed the room, his mouth formed into a small line and he lowered himself into the cushioned chair.

His father frowned, and turned his monitor towards him. The screen showed crystal-clear security footage of his office. It was paused at the moment when Adrien had opened up his mother's portrait. He pressed play, and he watched as he discovered the book. Thankfully, Plagg was invisible against the dark wallpaper.

"Father, I can explain—"

The man held up a hand. "I didn't know you took it until just recently, Adrien." Gabriel looked up at the ceiling, and sighed. "As your father, I'm disappointed that you stole from me. As a businessman, however," Adrien's father smirked, clicked his mouse, and the video of Ladybug and Adrien in the office began to play.

His cheeks grew hot. His father watched Adrien try and have a conversation with Ladybug, and fall into a sputtering, melting mess.

"As a businessman, I am a little impressed, Adrien." He scowled, "You figured out the passcode to my safe _somehow,_ you stole your mother's book, and returned it without my knowledge."

"I—Father," Adrien bit his lips, "Ladybug stole the book from me, I would've returned it sooner, but—"

 _But I had to convince Ladybug to return the book to Adrien._

 _But she had to ask Fu about the book._

"It's alright." Gabriel inhaled. "I had hoped that this footage would solve the issue with the Peacock miraculous. I figured Ladybug asked you for the miraculous, and you were lovesick enough to give it to her. I was wrong."

He clicked the mouse. There was Adrien, taking the miraculous and stuffing it into his backpack. The clip only lasted thirty seconds, at most, and ended when Adrien placed a replica in the safe, and closed the portrait.

Adrien said nothing. He even considered apologizing, but he wasn't sorry.

"That wasn't yours to steal, Adrien." Gabriel's voice was low, slightly trembling as he leaned forward, his fingers steepled as his elbows rested on this desk.

"I'm sorry for stealing your miraculous." Adrien spoke quickly, "But-but you weren't using it! And Hawkmoth needs to be stopped."

He raised an eyebrow, his anger bubbled slightly as he returned, "It wasn't _mine_ to use."

Gabriel stood, and turned around to his wife's portrait. "It was your mother's, Adrien." He swung the portrait open, and typed in the code. He removed the book. "You've put the two of us in a grave amount of danger."

"W-Why? We're not superheroes, father."

He nodded, flipping to the page on the Butterfly miraculous, "No, But Hawkmoth has a miraculous, like your mother's."

"He puts everyone in danger. He's not a superhero."

The man cocked his head to the side, "Adele had a partner. I'm sure you can guess who that was, before he turned evil, of course."

Adrien's head was spinning. His mother, the sweet, kind woman he had always known, was a superhero by night, just like him. She worked with Hawkmoth, the man he, Ladybug, Peacock and Queen Bee were fighting.

Gabriel blinked, "Hawkmoth knew I had his partner's miraculous, Adrien. I didn't _use it_ because I had the foresight to know that Hawkmoth would eventually come to my door asking after it."

"You're speaking as if you know him." The boy pointed out.

He smirked, "I didn't say that I didn't. Peacock was my wife. Of course I met him. He's…" Gabriel puffed his chest, straightening up more. "He has an easily provoked temper, Adrien. I seem gentle compared to him. Hawkmoth is probably grief-stricken over his partner, more than I am, apparently." His last few words were soaked in bitterness.

Adrien frowned, "How do you know?"

"Because I didn't take the Peacock miraculous and attack Paris for miraculous that would bring her back to life?" Gabriel replied, as though it was the easiest question in the world. "Do you know the girl's identity?"

"I don't." He answered, "I gave the miraculous to Chat Noir."

Gabriel rolled his eyes, "Sure."

His heartrate quickened, "What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

The man tapped one of his fingers. "It means exactly what you think it means, _Chat Noir._ " Gabriel stood, and checked his watch. "I'm going to be late. Have a good afternoon, Adrien."

"Father—"

"We will not be discussing this, son." He turned back, "It is safer for all of us if I'm not privy to your…pastimes. Have a good afternoon."

Gabriel left Adrien in the office, trying to catch his breath.

* * *

Aurore had to look away from Mireille, hoping she wouldn't notice her best friend wincing in pain from the bear hug she had inflicted. Aurore had invited her over for dinner, and the sun was starting to set.

"I'm so glad your okay!" Mireille explained, "You'll never believe what happened."

"Actually, Peacock checked on me afterwards, and briefed me." She smiled, still keeping her arms around the girl. "I was really scared, Mireille."

The girl pulled away, "How? Peacock was really injured!"

"What? You saw that?" The words fell out of her mouth before she could stop them. Adele shot her a pointed look.

Shrugging, Mireille answered, "I can't really say much else. Chat Noir contacted me, and we're meeting tonight to discuss what I saw. He asked me not to tell anyone about it."

"I'm sure." Aurore took the girl's hands, "I'm just happy that you're okay. We don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

They still stood in the doorway, and the girl looked up into her friend's blue eyes. Aurore was a little bit taller. "What did Peacock say?"

Shooting Mireille a coy smile, the girl answered, "I heard about your crush on me."

A blush stained her cheeks as she pulled her hands away, hiding behind them, "Y-you did? O-oh my gosh, Aurore, I'm—I didn't for this to happen, I swear—"

Aurore closed the front door, pulling her inside. "I like you too, Mireille. Please, I made some attempt at dinner."

"R-really?" The girl murmured, following Aurore into their dining room, "How could you like me after the KIDZ+ competition?"

Slowly turning back, "I've been friends with you for months now, of _course_ I like you!"

"I just-! I figured you felt bad, because of Stormy Weather." Mireille glanced away, her face flushed.

Straightening up, Aurore exhaled, "Mireille."

"I mean, I know I'm not—I'm nothing like you!" She told the girl, her voice raising with her exasperation. "You're beautiful and charismatic and outgoing. And you want to hang out with someone like me?"

Aurore swallowed, and pulled the girl towards her, holding her in a terse hug. "You are stunning, and gentle, and kind, and when I'm with you, I feel like I could be as gentle and as kind as you." She cleared her throat, she needed another painkiller. "I like you. I more than like you."

"You do have a crush on me?"

"I think that if I saw that akuma, I would've seen you." Aurore confirmed. After all, it was the truth.

"Peacock saw me." The girl admitted.

Stiffening, the blonde allowed herself to chuckle, "She has good taste, I will admit."

The timer beeped, and Aurore moved. "Can you check on the pasta? I have to take a painkiller. Cramps."

"Sure."

Hopping up the stairs, she shut the bathroom door behind her. That didn't stop Adele from phasing through, as Aurore unbuttoned her blouse, and shed the tank top underneath.

Adele inhaled. "That went well."

"Yes." Aurore peeled off the bandages, wincing at the scabbed scratches, that were just beginning to disappear. She opened the cabinet, pulling out the antiseptic and mason jar of green goop. It was comparable to a sugar scrub, but clearly had some magical properties. It also smelt of oceans, which was pleasant to her nose.

After the bandages were reapplied, Adele told her, "You can't tell her that you're Peacock."

"Why would I do that?"

Adele froze, "I…I realize…I guess. I told Gabriel. I just assumed—"

" _You told Gabriel?_ " Her voice was high as she whispered, "He saw me!"

"I'm sure he did." She confirmed sarcastically.

* * *

Chat Noir inhaled. Today was more difficult than he realized. Learning that your mother was a superhero was difficult. Learning that Hawkmoth was her former partner was an obstacle he couldn't hope to overcome.

After all, he knew his mother. He knew her capacity to love others. Chat Noir loves Ladybug. The thought of his mother, Peacock, unapologetically caring for Hawkmoth filled him with despair. It didn't help with the mystery of her disappearance, and he was abandoned with more questions than answers.

Immediately after chasing his father out of his office, Gabriel Agreste had promptly disappeared for back-to-back business meetings. There was always work to do as a CEO, apparently, and his father was intent on avoiding both Adrien Agreste, and Chat Noir. Not that Chat Noir could just burst into his office and demand answers anyway.

It had been considered, and reconsidered, and decided that showing up as a superhero to the Gabriel headquarters would be unwise.

Perhaps ( _Purrhaps)_ Hawkmoth would have the answers the son (the cat) was looking for.

"Chat Noir?" Her voice was sweet, and soft.

His ears pricked up, and he glanced to the small girl, standing at the other of the bench. "Mireille Caquet. Thank you for coming on short notice."

"No problem." She replied, sitting down beside him, "I'm supposed to be reporting on superheroes, remember? I might as well entertain your requests."

The cat nodded, "So if you could—"

"Is Peacock okay?" Mireille blurted out, cutting him off, and immediately apologizing for interrupting.

"What do you mean?"

Blinking, her hands gripped her knees, "You don't know what happened to her? Aurore said that Peacock visited her, but I don't know what happened."

Chat nodded slowly, "If Aurore saw her, then she's probably okay, miss. Tell me all about it."

Mireille nodded. "The akuma took the form of whoever you have a crush of. For you, it would be Ladybug. For me…it was Aurore. The akuma took me out of the dressing room it had trapped me in in the first place. It was Aurore, Chat. Peacock was standing on the stage, and she knew that it wasn't my best friend."

 _Understandable, when Aurore is Peacock. Almost like when Volpina kidnapped 'Adrien.'_

"I guess that's just how our magic works." Chat commented casually.

"Then she used her powers, and the akuma zeroed in and turned into me, of all people." Mireille sounded slightly awestruck at the idea, but quickly refocused. "So I went into the audience and stayed towards the back…and," Her voice trailed of, and she whispered, "Can I have a minute, please?

Her eyes were glassy, her breathing was slow as she tried to keep herself together.

Chat stood, and stepped towards the railing, "Of course, miss. I need to make a phone call. Please excuse me."

He pulled out his baton, and pressed her name on his phone. "Peacock, I don't appreciate you spying on my meetings."

"Is that so?" Peacock replied, "I could've told you what happened, you know. It's dangerous to get civilians involved."

"Well, I guess I can't be too upset." Chat replied, leaning over the balcony and staring over the water, "She probably told you about the meeting."

"She didn't tell me what she saw, thanks to you."

The cat stirred, _why is she so curious_ , "Something weird happened, Peacock. The akuma disappeared. Ladybug's kwami couldn't sense it anymore. It disappeared out of thin air. Mireille is a witness, and we have to cover our bases."

Peacock huffed, "Alright. Maybe find me when you're done, so we can compare notes."

"Sure, whatever you need. Have a good evening."

Chat turned back, looked at Mireille, who nodded, beckoning him back to her.

"The akuma had these claws, and…and they," She mimed the action, across her stomach, her motion stuttered. "It was so deep, and the sound she made. It was like she was dying. And then this tall, blonde woman appeared, and laid her down. She stepped over Peacock, and stalked over to the akuma. She ripped off the tickets that the akuma possessed, and then ripped them in half."

Mireille turned to him, her question immediately, "What happens to the butterfly?"

"Ladybug…" He had to pull himself together, everything was overloading today, "Ladybug purifies it, and undoes everything. After that they just, fly away."

"The woman just…absorbed the butterfly into her skin, and it was gone. The akuma transformed back into Oliver." Mireille blinked rapidly. "The woman picked up Peacock and ran off, leaving the two of us."

"Is Oliver okay?"

The girl shrugged, "I think he still has his memories. He didn't cause any real damage, except to Peacock."

Chat inhaled, "And the woman just appeared out of thin air?"

"I wouldn't say that." Mireille sighed, "I think she was there. It's not like she was confused. She knew what was happening. She caught Peacock, and spoke to her like she knew her."

"How so?"

The girl took pause, finding the right words, "Like a mother. It was odd."

The boy nodded, his mind wading through thousands of questions.

* * *

 _AN: HELLO, we are at around the half-way point in this fic! I hope you like it so far._


	7. Chapter 7

It's difficult to fight akumas who you know.

To start, Ladybug and Queen Bee were hit by Separentation, and scampered off, desperate to hide their identities. The woman who appeared in front of Queen Bee led the hardened soldier to tears, and the old man who appeared in front of Ladybug spoke rapid Chinese, which the heroine clearly didn't understand.

That left Chat Noir and Peacock, who were desperately trying not to get hit by the akuma, who was flying around, throwing postcards. The akuma had to be stopped, but in the meantime, the city rejoiced in the hundreds of heartfelt reunions around the city between loved ones.

It was Aurore's father, who was fed up with her mother being gone. Separentation was convinced that Peacock and Chat Noir were hiding Aurore from him. His skin was covered in postcards and written letters, covering up everything about him that was her father.

She had used her camouflage, and touching Chat made him invisible as well, so they ducked into a well-sized warehouse to catch their breath.

Gasping for air, she let her transformation go, catching Yaava. "You did so well, you know that?" The kwami sighed, munching almonds. "We—I couldn't be more proud of you."

She glanced over to Adele, who was nodding. The woman had said very little during the entire fight. "You guys are really close to beating him."

Smiling, she thanked her kwami and looked over to Chat Noir, "Are you alright?"

After all, part of the reason they had stopped to take a break was his reactions. He wasn't fighting as hard, and Peacock had to shield him several times, when he could've used his staff as a defective shield.

"I'm fine." He replied, his words quick on his tongue.

Peacock blinked. The boy was standing a few meters away, glaring out the open skylight they had entered through. "Chat?"

"What?"

Swallowing, she dared to question, "Who would appear for you if Separentation hit you?"

He glanced back at her, and answered, "It doesn't matter."

"You weren't fighting as hard. It was like—it was like you wanted him to hit you." The words had etched into her mind during the fight, but she had nearly forgotten the thought in the throngs of the fight.

His shoulder's tensed, "Yeah. My backstory is a bit more tragic then I let on."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Chat shook his head, his frown deepening, "No. If Separentation hit me, I'd—I have a lot of questions that need to be answered."

Aurore blinked, and exhaled, "I don't know why I assumed that you—"

"Have it easy?" The cat cut her off, giving her a sharp smile, "I'm alright, Peacock."

She frowned, "Are you sure you're fine? We can talk about it."

He stared at her, contemplating for a moment, and swallowed. She panicked, because he looked as though he would say something particularly scathing. His expression quickly shifted back to neutrality, and his words were soft. "My mother disappeared four years ago. She was the Peacock miraculous user before you, and according to my father, she was Hawkmoth's partner before he became evil."

 _Adrien Agreste is Chat Noir._

 _Chat Noir is Adrien Agreste._

Aurore felt herself leaning against the wall, falling into herself, and curling into a tight ball.

"You can't say anything." Adele's voice was slow, her words pained beyond belief. "You can't act like you already knew. You can't pretend like Fu told you."

"I'm sorry." Chat turned away, "I'm sure it isn't easy to understand."

"If you tell him that I'm trapped, it will destroy him from the inside out." She told the girl, firmly, "I can't have that happen. You can't break my son."

He placed a hand on her shoulder, before sitting down next to her. She brushed her hair to the side, and his head dropped to her left shoulder.

"I want answers, you know?"

Aurore realized that she was frozen, and corrected herself, shifting so that his head rested under her chin, and she scratched behind his ears. "You deserve them."

Adele glowered at the girl, "It is easier if he thinks that I'm dead."

Chat Noir nodded. "Would you—would you hold it against me if I let him hit me?"

"No." She replied, "Call Ladybug. Let her know where we are." Aurore glanced down at her kwami, "Are you good, babe?"

The kwami swallowed, and nodded, "I'm ready when you are."

Aurore stood, bouncing off the wall. She ran a hand through her hair, and readjusted her brooch, which was pinned to the inside of her cardigan. "Yaava, transform me!"

She looked back over her shoulder at the boy, and he grinned, "You're still modelling when you're Peacock, you know. That's why everyone says that you're the photogenic one."

Realizing that she was posed, she dropped her arms, unpopped her hips, and relaxed her shoulders. "Damn."

Chat laughed aloud, his voice hollow as he glanced down to his baton, shooting an e-mail to Ladybug.

* * *

Gabriel's entire body was thrown against the metal wall, the crossbeams cutting into his cream suit, surely leaving bruises. "If I knew," He grunted, crumpling to the ground like a rag doll, "I'd tell you."

 _You did this to yourself,_ the designer told himself, _you followed the devil down a dark alley thinking he'd tell you where Adele was._

She was probably dead somewhere, but you can't blame a loving husband for harboring hope.

Hawkmoth was upon him again, grabbing him by the collar, forcing the mean on the of his shows. "That's. Not. Good. Enough." The man growled, "I just need a name."

The man scrutinized the villain, frowning distinctly, and choked. "You've beaten me bloody. I don't know anything."

Setting the man down, Hawkmoth stepped away, tilting his head to the side, "Is that right?"

Gabriel cleared his throat, fighting for air. "Right." He managed to straighten his suit, brushing away the dirt that had accumulated.

His eyes remained on Hawkmoth, who hands were clasped around his cane. The man glanced away, content to let the villain glance in on his akuma of the week. From what the fashion designer could gather, the akuma was making the person their target missed appear out of thin air.

His head was worming itself into knots thinking about it. Gabriel knew that Adrien would go through the entire grieving process again if he targeted.

"Hmm." Hawkmoth had a trademarked chuckle, "There's a thought. Separentation, bring me Adrien Agreste."

"No." Gabriel put his hands in his pockets, hiding the way they trembled, "He has nothing to do with this."

He stroked his chin, "We'll see, Gabriel Agreste, we'll see."

* * *

When Ladybug finally arrived on the scene, it was after Chat Noir and Peacock incapacitated Separentation on the roof of the Agreste Mansion. Chat Noir held the akuma in his hand, and Peacock tried to shut out her father's voice.

She barely remembers what he said in the moments where he still remembered being the akuma. Chat Noir tried to calm the man down, who was demanding to know where Aurore was, and if she was safe.

"Keep it together." Adele soothed the girl, who stood a comfortable distance away. "I know this is hard."

Aurore rolled her shoulders, as though she were brushing the woman off. "I can't—you don't—You have—"

"Peacock?" Chat Noir strode over to her. His head ducked around her, and he noticed how wet her eyes had become. "It'll be okay, Aurore. Ladybug will be here soon."

She nodded, swallowing down her words, and the subsequent lump in her throat.

"I can't. They took the butterfly. Even if I could, I don't want to." Her father's voice was insistent, his eyes screwed shut as he cringed, apparently being yelled at. "No, I will not 'retrieve the akuma.' You're insane."

Chat Noir turned back to the man. "Monsieur Beauréal?"

The adult glanced away, "I'm fine, Chat Noir. Could one of you check on Aurore? I'm really worried."

Peacock nodded slowly, "Yeah, I'll check."

"Can you wait until Ladybug gets here?" The cat eyed her, pleading, "If Hawkmoth sends out another akuma I'll be a Chat without a chance."

She swallowed, "Okay."

* * *

Aurore sat in the living room, in the seat furthest from her dad's desk.

"You shouldn't be so harsh on yourself." Adele told her, "Hawkmoth…when he possesses people, he makes them do anything."

Shuddering, her hands gripped her knees, then recoiled away. They were bruised badly from the fight. She'd have to call Nathalie and beg to postpone several photoshoots.

"Would you know?" She looked up at the woman, "Do you know what being akumatized is like?"

 _You're going to give yourself away,_ Aurore told herself, _then she'll know exactly why you're not good enough to be a hero._

Insecurities never faded, but they could temporarily be ignored.

Adele glanced down at her hands, "No. Hawkmoth and I—there was never a situation that required him to declare me as his champion. I had the Peacock miraculous, and we were searching for the Butterfly miraculous. He was Master Fu's prodigy, we were both his students, but for a long time, he was brilliant, he took to magic like a duck to water—"

The girl bit her lip, remembering the footage of herself, with dark purple and lavender hair, with an umbrella that change the weather. Torrential downpour, indeed.

"Aurore?" She asked the girl, deeply concerned as the girl began to weep.

Her fingers trembled as she pulled out her phone, and pulled up a webpage on the Ladyblog. She set the device down on the coffee table, and slid it over to the woman. Aurore stood, feeling herself twist her fingers, as though standing would fight the emotional collapse. "I was akumatized, Adele."

The woman stared at the screen, her eyes glancing to Aurore. There was no mistaking the look of recognition. Stormy Weather and Aurore Beauréal looked like twins with a different color palette, and aesthetic.

"You never told me."

She stared at the ghost, through the glassy wall over her pupils, she still felt a surge of frustration, "How could I? Akumas, people who are dark enough to be villains shouldn't get miraculous! How do I tell you that all your hope for me is misplaced?"

 _Click_.

Aurore whipped around, her eyes fixated as the door unlocked, turned, and revealed her father, haggard, tired, and slightly bruised.

"Aurore?" Augustine's voice was quiet, and slow, he turned to her, seeing her. His face softened. Everything was broken. "I—I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologize." She swore to him. "I understand."

* * *

Adrien had searched high and low for his father. Nathalie had informed him that Gabriel was out on an important business meeting. Her voice had faltered slightly, and the bubbling anxiety within her seeped through the cracks, but she gave nothing else away.

Maybe Separentation had found his father, maybe his father went out looking for Separentation.

He glanced at his phone, and found his father's number. Sucking in a breath, he pressed the button.

"You shouldn't worry." Plagg told him, glancing around his father's office. "He's probably at a business meeting."

For a moment, he thought his call would go to voicemail, but someone picked up.

"Adrien." The voice was cool, amused.

"Fa—" The boy started to speak, but realized that it wasn't the right voice. Gabriel Agreste didn't have a sense of humor. "…Who is this?"

The chuckling was low, evil, and sent chills down the boy's spine, "Hawkmoth, who else would it be?"

"Where is my father?" Adrien asked his voice dripping with disdain.

He huffed, "You sound like your mother. He's _fine._ Bruised, alive, fine."

Adrien with one hand, was trying to pull up a cell phone tracker, and with the other, he was gripping his own phone. He growled, "Where. Is. He."

"Now, now." The man appeased, "You don't have to throw a tantrum. I'll send you the address and return Gabriel to you, safe and sound."

There several muffled noises in the background.

"What's the catch?" Adrien was sliding down the staircase. He barreled into the kitchen, passing the cooks and throwing open the fridge. He gathered all the stocked cheese.

His hand was on the front door of his house when Hawkmoth spoke again.

"Bring Peacock. Don't tell anyone else. I'll kill your father if I see Ladybug or her team anywhere near me." Hawkmoth told the boy. "You have two days."

The line went dead.

* * *

 _AN: Sorry for the delay! School._


	8. Chapter 8

Queen Bee and Ladybug sat on a bridge overlooking The Seine. Their feet dangled over the still water. It was late, well past midnight.

She'd been e-mailing the girl all afternoon, trying to find her, but Queen Bee had de-transformed and hid for the better part of the day, after the akuma attack. It was only when Ladybug had insisted that the blonde finally agreed to meet.

Ladybug stared into her hands, "You shouldn't have gotten hit. We're partners, I—"

"Oh." Queen Bee frowned, cutting her words off, "You must not know what loss is like."

Her tone was matter-of-factly, and her body was stiff. Ladybug placed a soft hand on her shoulder.

"I don't." She admitted.

She shot a side glance to the girl, "Chat and I do," Queen Bee told her. "At least, I suspect he does. I didn't fight very hard against Separentation because I knew who'd appear. Chat didn't try much either."

Ladybug frowned, "I'm sorry."

"It's fine, but don't think that what happened today was your fault." The blonde insisted. "It wasn't."

They sat in contented silence for a few minutes.

Queen Bee turned her, "Is that all you wanted to talk about? We have school in the morning."

This was it.

When the black-stripped hero had first appeared, Ladybug had been suspicious. She had every right to be, after Volpina, after Copycat, even. And the girl was still just a teenager, Marinette didn't accept change easily. It was probably frustrating, to spend a year perfecting a dynamic with one partner only to have a new one come and upturn everything.

Still, it was a great partnership. Queen Bee admitted to being a fan of Ladybug as a civilian, but acted cool for the most part. She was a calculating fighter, a master of strategy and manipulation. She was far more charming than Ladybug, and far more cutting, willing to do what Ladybug couldn't.

They both loved Adrien Agreste.

She should've seen it from the beginning. Even her civilian self had grown softer in reaction to being a superhero. The socialite hadn't been kinder by any means, but her insults were few and far between. Those around her were saying that she had grown to be slightly more forgiving of others.

"I know your identity!" Ladybug blurted, her hands gripping the stone balustrade.

Queen Bee frowned, "You do?"

Her voice had taken on a tone on neutrality, testing the waters. Queen Bee herself had caused so many akumas, and had no way of knowing how Ladybug would react to this information.

"Your…she looks just like you." She told the girl, twisting her fingers. "I'm sorry."

The golden hero flew up and turned back to the black-spotted hero, her arms crossed.

It was so Chloe Bourgeois.

"You're sorry?" The girl glanced away, "I tried very hard to keep my identity from you. I didn't know what you'd think of me."

"What would I think of you?" Ladybug asked, "Sure, you've cause akumas…but so have I, Chloe. I caused Volpina, I insulted you and Antibug happened. You've changed."

Queen Bee pushed her eyebrows together. "People don't really change."

"I know you."

"You don't."

Ladybug laughed, whole-heartedly, "Don't you…do you have any idea as to who I am?"

The girl flew back, closer. Her legs hung over her head as she examined Ladybug, prodding her face and cheeks. Queen Bee flipped over her, landing on the bridge and glaring at several passerby's until they picked up their pace, "No, I don't."

She inhaled. "If I told you who I was, I think you'd laugh," Marinette breathed out. "You would."

Rolling her eyes, the yellow hero snapped back, "I swear to god—"

"Tomorrow, I'll let you in on the secret at school." Ladybug hopped off the balustrade, heading in the opposite direction, "Have a good night, Chloe."

Chloe pressed her books to her chest, in an effort to control her breathing. Her eyes were set on Adrien's. She told Sabrina to buzz off, and she had.

If Ladybug as in love with him as she was, she'd appear soon enough.

The boy was speaking with such a ferocity that she vaguely wondered if Adrien was arguing with the girl he was speaking too. Aurore.

Not Ladybug, Chloe told herself, Ladybug brushed over Stormy Weather when they were training.

Also, Ladybug would never be that cool around Adrien Agreste.

Aurore was trying to calm him down. Something as clearly upsetting him, something that he wasn't turning to Nino too. Just this random ashy blonde girl that walked into his life a few months ago. His movements were energetic, and every time he started to raise his voice, the older girl would place a hand on his shoulder, and say something soothing.

She didn't register that Marinette Dupain-Cheng had joined her.

"They're acting more odd than usual." The pig-tail girl remarked. "I mean, they're always weird together, but this is new?"

Chloe rolled her eyes, "Don't you have someone else to annoy, Marinette? I'm busy."

"Are you too busy to talk to me?"

Inhaling, she remembered that Marinette had never been akumatized, and she had a pretty good streak going. She let her mouth raise from an annoyed frown to a neutral line. "What is it you wanted to talk about?"

She ran a hand through her wavy blonde hair, brushing over the unassuming gold comb that brushed her hair back to one side. Chloe's hair was thick, and the blonde waves spilled over her opposing shoulder.

"Just wanted to let you know that it was me this whole time." Marinette glanced up at her, "I'm Ladybug, and you're Queen Bee."

The girl froze, her eyes darted to her side. "Of course," Chloe breathed out, "You're just as insufferable in the mask as you are out of it."

Marinette laughed, and through her arm around the girl's shoulder, a motion she had done a thousand times as superheroines. She smiled, "You don't really mean that, you giant ice queen."

"We have to do something—we can't be here, Aurore!" Adrien breathed out to her, as they returned to the school after a lunchtime akuma attack.

She grimaced, and glanced around the courtyard, "Hawkmoth could have someone watching you. You have to act normal."

'Normal' like 'pretending you didn't have contact with your supposed-to-be-dead mother'. 'Normal' like 'you have to act like she's not putting an immense amount of pressure on you to protect her family.'

Adrien stared at her, "My father is missing."

Adele stared at her, "We might as well go, we have the offensive advantage."

"Does Hawkmoth know that you're Chat Noir?"

The boy blanched, and he murmured, "My father knows."

"Gabriel wouldn't give our son away." Adele told the girl, "He was put at gunpoint to reveal my identity, and he was silent. We can trust him."

"I doubt he told Hawkmoth." Aurore assured her friend, "All we have to do is—"

"Adri-honey!" Chloe's voice stopped the girl's words in her tracks. "I was wondering if you'd like to go the cinema with Alya, Marinette, and yours truly."

Marinette flanked the girl's side, looking just as enthusiastic. Alya looked skeptical, but was along for the ride.

Adrien's eyebrows knitted together, "I didn't realize you all were on great terms."

"It's kind of new." Marinette admitted.

"And weird as shit." Alya muttered under her breath, earning a glare from the other two girls.

Aurore gave them all a small smile, "Unfortunately, Adrien and I have a photoshoot today, so he'll be unavailable."

"But—"

"We need to get going." Adrien told them, grabbing Aurore and dragging her off with him.

Peacock and Adrien stood at the entrance to the boarded up…church, outside of town. "Do we knock?"

The boy exhaled, "I'm not actually sure." He pulled out his phone, "I'll just call my father's phone."

When it started to ring, the door swung open. Peacock pushed her hand into Adrien's back, forcing him forward through the frame.

"That's not very hero-like of you." Adrien muttered to her.

"I'm not a hero." She snapped back, glancing around the building, that was dimly lit, save for small, glowing white butterflies.

"Father?" Adrien's voice cast an eerie echo.

"I'm over here." The man called back, "Hawkmoth has always been one for dramatics—"

The lights flipped on.

"No need to ruin the mood." Hawkmoth growled, standing under a small, alcove. Adele scowled, crossing her arms.

Adrien ran to his father, who was standing, but clearly scuffed up, his five o'clock shadow in full effect. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Gabriel answered, a softness to his otherwise prickly exterior. He looked up at the teenaged girl, "You shouldn't have come."

"That's true." Hawkmoth agreed, "Your predecessor would've watched the world burn before showing up to a fight she'd know she'd lose."

"From what I've heard, she would've given anything for her family." Aurore gave him a weak smile, "My kwami happily filled in the blanks. I'm sorry for your loss."

Adrien glanced away, "Is that why you want the miraculous? To bring my—"

"Boy," Gabriel placed a hand on his shoulder, "do not ask a mad man about his motive. He's toxic."

Hawkmoth

Peacock frowned, and turned to the villain, "You have what you want, don't you? Let the Agreste's go."

Hawkmoth gave her a smile, "You have no idea what I want, Peacock."


	9. Chapter 9

"My miraculous, then." She pushed her eyebrows together.

Hawkmoth smiled, and wrung his hands around his cane. There was nothing between them, except the expanse of metal floor. A sound of metal sliding, and Peacock's eye's widened at the sight of the sword emerging from his cane, the ball shifting into a comfortable hilt that he gripped with expertise.

Gabriel appeared next to her, stepping between the teenaged girl and the villain. "This has gone far enough." His voice was low, "What would Adele say if she saw you?"

The man shot him a smirk, "What is it about you the compels you to get between superheroes, Gabriel? Get out of my way."

"Father, please."

"She is a child." Gabriel growled back to the man, ignoring his son. "She hasn't got anything to do with this."

Adele swallowed, and told the girl, "Try the door, maybe it's not locked."

Peacock darted towards the door, trying the metal handle, only to find it mechanically shut. Peacock leaned against the door, and gripped the fan, previously attached at her hips.

"You should stand out of the way, sir." She told the designer, her voice warm, "I promise that it'll be fine."

Gabriel glanced at the girl, saying nothing. His face was a cocktail of emotions. Loathing and recognition, protective and distance.

"I'm not Adele Agreste." She told the man, hoping to help. "I never will be. You're not, nor will you ever be, responsible for my safety."

The man sighed, "You're still a child."

Adele frowned, "Tell him he's not a hero."

"You're not a hero." Aurore told Gabriel. "I will be fine."

She unfurled her fan, and stepped closer to the purple-suited man. "Is that what you want to do, sir, spar?"

He glanced down at his sword, "I've always wanted to fight Peacock. I've spared with you before, but that was to train."

Adele let out a gasp.

"You—You knew she was—" Aurore frowned, stopping herself short.

Hawkmoth chuckled, "Of _course_ I knew." He glanced over to Gabriel and Adrien, who watched in horror. "Adele and Fu always underestimate how much I know about miraculous magic."

Aurore glanced up at the woman, who had paled, and tried to keep her mouth shut.

He glared at the girl, "Did she think that because she had an extra five years of training, that I didn't do everything I could to make up for lost time?"

She whirled back to the man, "You knew she was trapped! You could've done something, you could've—"

The man glared at her, "Do you think I did nothing? I spent a good amount of time waiting for Gabriel Agreste to activate the miraculous."

She paled, "You know the cost."

"Obviously, girl." He rolled his eyes. "You can imagine my surprise when you showed up."

She said nothing.

Hawkmoth smiled, "I thought an akuma would simply kill you, and I wouldn't have to be a part of the equation. No one would've suspected, and then I'd stop this," He gestured around, the evil lair, the fluttering butterflies, "but you survived every akuma. I should've guessed that Adele would push you in the right direction, every time."

"Adele will take you down." Aurore glared at him, "She won't let you get away with this."

"Sure, sure." Hawkmoth agreed, "But I'm going to take you down, in one fell swoop."

She smirked, and her finger graced the edge of her fan, slightly testing the sharpness. She was still far away from Hawkmoth.

Adele seemed to know exactly what was happening, and nodded.

Aurore took the fan, and ran it across her forearm, wincing at the cut.

Hawkmoth's eyes widened.

"De-transform!" She yelled at the girl, "We don't have time."

Gabriel held Adrien back, "You have to wait a bit longer." He told the boy, his eye's locked on the vision of his wife, looking as she did the last day he saw her.

"I can _help._ " He replied, "Mom! What can I do?"

"Nothing." She replied. "Aurore, de-transform, come on."

Adrien exhaled, and his father squeezed his shoulder, "She will always do everything alone, if she can. Don't take it personally."

Aurore dropped her transformation, and Hawkmoth was about to move forward, but Adele threw herself in front of the teen. She was gripping her wrist, trying to stop the blood flow as she gritted her teeth and winced.

"Open. The. Door." Aurore frowned at her former partner. "I don't want this."

Hawkmoth smiled, "But won't you be happier, Adele? Your husband and son? Aren't you going to at least _look_ at them?"

As a matter of fact, she had deliberately not looked over to them. "I won't be asking again, Hawkmoth."

"No."

Her eyes narrowed, and Adrien gaped as his mother smirked. Set aside the knowledge that his mother _never_ smirked, it was just like _Chat Noir._

"Aurore, the brooch." Aurore handed it to her, "Yaava."

"Front and center." The blue kwami called out, giving a mock salute, and a beaming smile. "Ready when you are."

Adele straightened up, and jutted out her jaw, "Last chance, Hawkmoth, before I personally take you down."

"You can't take me down _and_ protect the girl _and_ protect your family." He told her, "After being out of the game for so long, I'm going to assume you're rusty."

"Yaava. Transform me."

The magic washed over her in a blue light, and suddenly, Adrien's mother was covered in a glittery blue and green suit, with a long sheer cape of blue feathers. Her hair curled back off her face, her mask a pointed, dark brown. He heard his father suck in a breath and whisper something about how beautiful his wife was.

She wielded the fans with the expert of a woman who had done it for at least a decade.

"Adele…" Aurore murmured, gasping, turning paler by the second, "I need—"

The boy's eye's widened, and he turned back, and whispered, "Father, I can fix this. I can take out a wall."

The man tore his eyes off of his wife, and stared at the boy, "You're not thinking about the long-term consequences. Your mother will kill you."

"I have a plan." Adele replied, cupping her palms and turning back to the girl, "Do you remember the akuma where you almost died?"

She grunted. "Yes."

A butterfly emerged from her hands, "But you don't remember being an akuma."

Hawkmoth, who was halfway across the room, stuttered, and froze. "No…"

"Oh, yes." Adele replied. "Aurore. Take the butterfly."


	10. Chapter 10

Gabriel watched Peacock command the scene, and the memory of meeting her for the first time scorched back across his consciousness.

He could still remember what he had designed in his classes that day. The boy was stubborn, and preferred to crosshatch in grays and sepias. Copics looked like regular pens, so long as he only kept fine liners lying around, he wouldn't fall under any suspicion. The young man was forbidden from art supplies, for obvious reasons.

Now, this was back when his father was still alive, still hoping, pushing a political career on him. In fact, Gabriel was running for municipal council at the time as a man in his early twenties.

He could still hear the words, even now, "You will be running this country one day, Gabriel."

Now, the boy didn't walk down the streets of Paris at night, usually, but he couldn't keep his sketchbook at home, and had stayed late at the library drawing. Now, he strode down the street, messenger bag bouncing along his side.

It was quite the pain, but Ferdinand Agreste would have a conniption if he caught his son drawing "those dead-end doodles" again.

"Gabriel Agreste?" The voice was soft, feminine, and sweet.

Oh, just my luck. He put on his family's smile, and turned around. His smile quickly dropped at the sight a gun aimed straight at him.

He was suddenly surrounded, by four men about his age. The girl holding the gun, a blue-eyed blonde in a high ponytail and high-contrast blush, smirked.

Gabriel pulled out his wallet, "I have two hundred euros. No credit card."

She shook her head, "Search his bag. Open all the notebooks."

His eyes widened, and his mouth formed an elegant scowl, "You won't find any dirt, if that's what you're after."

"We will." She replied, cocking her head to the side as one of her lackeys took the bag off of him.

"If Andre Bourgeois is paying you," He replied, "I can triple him."

Her laughter was equivalent to a shattered mirror, sparkly and jagged.

Gabriel exhaled. They wouldn't find anything.

At least, he was relaxed for a moment. He felt a familiar weight shift out his bag, and he didn't let show the panic that was coursing through him.

"What is this?" The man flipped through the sketchbook—half full, full of emotion, and incredibly incriminating—and laughed, "Gabriel Agreste, the artist? The fashion designer? Who knew he was so creative!"

His ears burned.

The girl appraised him, "What would your father think?"

His shame was quickly replaced with rage and fear.

A flash of blue appeared in front him, and the five rogues were knocked down. A bright girl in a dark brown mask turned to him.

"Run."

He ran.

XXX

Gabriel's calves were burning when he climbed the ivy into his bedroom at the Agreste mansion (it was tacky in his mind, but useful), feeling like a prisoner in his father's home.

If someone would tell him that his son would feel that exact way, in that exact room twenty years later, he probably wouldn't have believed him. Gabriel was miserable and lacked empathy.

In the rush of adrenaline, he realized that he left all of his books behind.

And his sketchbook.

Shit.

He left his problems on the sidewalk and hoped that a strange, masked vigilante would fix them.

He was just about to climb out the window to retrieve his things, when a girl appeared in the frame.

The girl.

She was stunning.

Gabriel, in the years to come, drew and re-drew, and redesigned her outfit so many times, that the true one she wore escaped him. It was fabulous, with a pointed brown mask on her face, with blond hair that was swept back.

"Can I come in?" She asked, "I don't have super-balance, you know."

Words failed him, but his arms must've made some sort of motion, because she hopped inside, examining his bedroom.

When he gathered himself, he demanded, "What are you doing here?"

She held up his bag, "You left this behind. The Bourgeois gang won't be bothering you again, by the way."

He took it off her, their hands brushing for a moment. It wasn't magical in anyway shape or form, but his breath hitched as he did this. He opened this bag.

It not here.

"My—"

"Sketchbook?" She held it up, the tiny, leather-bound book in her hands. "Your sketches are amazing, by the way."

"Uh…thanks." He inched closer to her, intending to take it from her hands. She danced away, tutting slightly. Her smile was genuinely amused.

"Why don't you color these?" She asked, "Why did those assholes seem intent on using this against you?"

He ignored the fact that she was adorable, and managed to glare at her. It must not have been convincing, because she snorted, laughing at his attempt. Gabriel flushed, "If you must know," he said, "my father has banned me from drawing, so that I can focus on my political career."

The boy lunged for his sketchbook, and she jumped away, her feet landing on his bed. She looked down at him for a moment, and then back to the book. "Well, clearly you'd rather be a designer than a politician, Gabriel Agreste."

"That's not the point."

"You should just give the sketchbook to Andre Bourgeois." She told him, leaping off the bed. Sauntering over to him, Peacock pressed the book into his hands, her hands lingered. "These are good, really."

He would later take her advice.

XXX

It would be easy to let the girl die, Gabriel knew this. Hawkmoth knew this. Hawkmoth probably hoped that Gabriel would go along with the plan, but this was all Gabriel's suspicion.

The girl had almost died once before.

Still, it wasn't an option. Gabriel knew Adele well enough to know that she would never forgive them for it. He could already hear her argument. I had my chance to live, and I died, this girl deserves a full life.

He could go on. He could live without her. He glanced to Hawkmoth for a moment, who glanced back at the man. They both knew that deep down, Gabriel wouldn't be too upset if Aurore gave her life for his wife.

The man really loathed Hawkmoth for that secret.

"You kept the butterfly this entire time?" She murmured, "You just—inside of you?"

"It wasn't so bad." Adele shrugged, "Take the butterfly."

The girl looked between Hawkmoth and his wife, trying to make a decision, or delay the inevitable. Aurore nodded, letting the butterfly crawl onto her, dipping into her skin.

Her transformation was immediate. Purple light danced across her skin and left the familiar Lolita black dress, white heeled boots, and spiraling pigtails. The air crackled around Stormy Weather.

Adele helped the girl up, who was without injury. Yet, his wife still stood in front of them.

Hawkmoth glared at the girl, "Do you honestly think you can defeat me?"

"I do." The girl responded, the air spiking in humidity. She threw a hand in the air, and the air crackled around her. Adrien shuddered at the girl's expression. "I can fight a butterfly, I can fight you."

The fight was over in a matter of moments. The rage was palpable, and her umbrella aimed, and lighting shot out of it's tip, immediately flashing to the villain, knocking him out, in a single blow.

He was on the ground. The two women were frozen, confused that he was defeated so easily.

"Gabriel." Adele murmured. "Get his miraculous. Adrien will cataclysm the wall and we'll leave."

The man snapped out of it and nodded. He strode to the purple-clad man, checking to make sure he was unconscious. Then, with one foot on the man's windpipe, he leaned down and unpinned the brooch, and closed his eyes as the purple light washed over the man. Immediately, there was a cry, and he whipped around to watch the girl topple over on herself.

"Aurore!" Adele had caught her. "ADRIEN. THE WALL. NOW."

The butterfly landed on his hand, and disappeared into the brooch, and the small kwami popped out. "Could we declare a champion to heal her?"

His wife held the girl in her arms with no trouble, she was as material as before. If anything, the girl was fading. "No," She replied, her voice full of fear, "Master Fu. We need to get to him as quickly as possible."

She thrust the girl into Chat Noir's arms, who gave her a look of panic. "I don't have time for this!" He told his mother.

"If I take her and expend energy, I will kill her. Go. I'll follow you." She replied. "Gabriel, darling, take a cab."

The man smirked, and pinned the brooch to his breast. "We'll head over together." The kwami landed on his shoulder, skeptical, but offered the Gabriel his name. "Nooroo, transform me."

Chat Noir looked at his mother for a moment longer, taking in the blue suit, the feathers, and the sparkles. He left, carrying the crumpled girl in his arms.

Gabriel moved closer to her, and she pressed her lips together, "Don't. There's no solution. I'm as good as dead."

He swallowed. "We'll find a solution."

She shook her head, "You'll become a supervillain, with that kind of talk."


End file.
